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1
Preheat the oven to 350F.
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2
Brush a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with butter and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
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3
To make the banana bread, whisk together the sugar and oil in a medium bowl.
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4
Add the bananas, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla and whisk together until smooth.
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5
Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into the banana mixture.
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6
Using a rubber spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
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7
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and set on a baking sheet.
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8
Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, rotating the pan 90 degrees after 30 minutes, until golden and firm to the touch and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
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9
Remove the cake from the oven, let rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack.
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10
To make the ice cream, place 1 1/4 cups of the sugar in a large saucepan with about 1 tablespoon of water; it should look like damp sand.
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11
Cook over high heat until the sugar melts and becomes a very dark, smoking caramel.
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12
Remove the pan from the heat and very carefully whisk in the cream and then the milk.
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13
Return the pan to the heat and bring the liquid to a rolling boil.
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14
Whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
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15
Temper the yolks by gradually whisking about half of the hot cream into the yolks and then returning it all to the pan and whisking it together.
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16
Add the salt and the vanilla.
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17
Strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
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18
Chill this mixture over ice and transfer to an ice cream maker.
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19
Process according to the manufacturers instructions.
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20
Transfer the ice cream to a covered container and place in the freezer for about 2 hours, until firm.
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21
Preheat the oven to 350F and butter a sheet pan.
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22
To make the pecan brittle, spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until they are fragrant and dark brown.
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23
In a 4-quart pot, mix the sugar, water, butter, and corn syrup and bring to a boil.
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24
Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking to the bottom, until a light caramel color (or, if using a candy thermometer, until it reaches 300F).
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25
Remove from the heat and very carefully stir in the baking soda, pecans, and salt.
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26
Working very quickly before it cools, spread the mixture over the buttered sheet pan using a heat-resistant rubber spatula.
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27
Once it is completely cooled, break into small pieces.
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28
When ready to assemble, let the ice cream defrost at room temperature for 15 minutes.
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29
Mix the brittle into the softened ice cream.
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30
Evenly spread the ice cream over 4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices of banana bread, covering them all the way to the edge.
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31
(The ice cream must be soft enough to avoid ripping the bread.)
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32
Sprinkle some sea salt over the ice cream, close the sandwiches with a matching 4 slices of banana bread, and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour before serving.
