Nutty Chocolate Frozen Bananas

How do you send chocoholics into ecstasy? Give ’em chocolate, of course. And a frozen banana is the perfect vehicle for the chocolate. For an after-dinner course that’s eating fun for everyone, make this a do-it-yourself dipping-and-rolling dessert. A few simple preparations the day before make the dessert virtually trouble-free.

Yield: 6 servings

3 ripe bananas

1 cup raw walnut pieces

6 (1-ounce) squares dairy-free unsweetened chocolate

1 1/4 cups organic sugar

1/2 cup boiling water

1. Peel the bananas and cut them in half crosswise. Insert a sturdy wooden skewer deeply into the center of the cut end, and place the bananas on a metal baking pan. Freeze for several hours or overnight.


2. Coarsely grind the walnuts in a hand-crank nut mill, place them into a wide mouth bowl, and set them aside.


3. To prepare the chocolate sauce, melt the chocolate squares in a 1-quart saucepan over very low heat, stirring frequently.


4. Place the organic sugar into a small and add the boiling water. Stir well to dissolve the sugar completely.


5. When chocolate is thoroughly melted, turn off the heat, and add the sweetened water, stirring until shiny and smooth.


6. Pour the chocolate sauce into a wide mouth bowl. Remove the skewered bananas from the freezer and place them on a platter. Place the bowls of chocolate sauce and walnuts on the table.


7. Instruct each person to firmly hold the skewer, roll the banana in the chocolate sauce to coat it, then roll in the ground nuts.