Happy 4th of July! I know I should be patriotic today, but I don't have any red and white and blue desserts to share with you. Instead, I'm bringing you something that can keep you cool during the holiday.
Green tea ice cream is a frozen treat that my parents absolutely adore. On the rare occasion that we visit a parent-approved Japanese/Chinese buffet, my mom always hits the desserts after her meal and grabs a bowlful or two of green tea ice cream. Mom knows how to get good value for her hard-earned dollars. This stuff is expensive. I saw a quart of green tea ice cream at my local Asian supermarket and saw that the price tag was close to $10 without tax. Yeah, expensive. Not to mention, those store bought brands always have some type of added preservative to keep the ice cream lasting longer. Ugh - who wants to eat that?
Green tea ice cream is a frozen treat that my parents absolutely adore. On the rare occasion that we visit a parent-approved Japanese/Chinese buffet, my mom always hits the desserts after her meal and grabs a bowlful or two of green tea ice cream. Mom knows how to get good value for her hard-earned dollars. This stuff is expensive. I saw a quart of green tea ice cream at my local Asian supermarket and saw that the price tag was close to $10 without tax. Yeah, expensive. Not to mention, those store bought brands always have some type of added preservative to keep the ice cream lasting longer. Ugh - who wants to eat that?
After I successfully found and bought matcha (green tea) powder at the Asian grocery store, I knew that green tea ice cream would eventually find its way to my to-make list. I found the recipe in my copy of David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop and quickly put the custard together. Since I am such an ice cream fiend, I'm getting pretty good at making David's custard bases efficiently.
I did find that the matcha powder clumped together a lot, and it was frustrating. No matter how much I stirred or whisked the custard mixture, clumps of green tea powder were everywhere. I decided to strain the mixture, and the resulting cream looked much better. I would recommend sifting the green tea powder while mixing it into heavy cream so you don't get ugly clumps like I did.
The resulting ice cream is smooth, creamy, and has a nice punch of green tea flavor. Don't be scared! It's not too strong where it'll knock you out. It tastes like a cup of green tea, only in ice cream form.
Enjoy your 4th of July holiday!
Enjoy your 4th of July holiday!
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 4 teaspoons matcha (green tea) powder
- 6 large egg yolks
Directions
Warm the milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan. Pour the cream into a large bowl and whisk in the green tea powder (I recommend sifting the powder so you don't get clumps like I did). Set a mesh strainer on top.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream, then whisk it vigorously until the custard is frothy to dissolve the green tea powder. Stir until cool over an ice bath (I skipped this part).
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator (I chilled overnight), then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Source: The Perfect Scoop, by David Lebovitz, page 40
No comments:
Post a Comment