Ben & Jerry's · Desserts
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Banana is a difficult base and an uncommon one. The flavor comes largely from isoamyl acetate, which is volatile enough that it fades in the cold, and banana browns fast enough that getting it into a dairy mix without discoloring is its own problem. The walnut is the interesting choice. It's the one common nut with real bitterness in it, from tannins in the skin, and against a base this sweet that bitterness is doing what salt does in a caramel. Fudge chunks and walnuts also break differently, one shattering and one snapping, so the tub carries two kinds of interruption rather than one repeated.
