Matcha Ice Cream

I had some matcha in the cupboard left from some house guests and I decided to use it up! Why not make some matcha ice-cream. For those of you who are unfamiliar with matcha, it is a green tea powder. I also decided to pair this ice-cream with crystallized ginger. I was never really a fan of ginger, but I gained an appreciation for it this past summer. I love the spiciness of it as well as its potency, and hey its healthy for you right… until you add loads of sugar to it, but it’s the thought that counts!

Crystalized ginger:

The crystallized ginger can be bought in the store, but if you are feeling adventurous why not make it yourself

Ingredients:

1 whole ginger  peeled and cubed

1 simmering pot of simple syrup (equal parts sugar and water brought to a boil)

Sugar in the raw

Method:

get a silicone mat and place on a sheet pan.  Make your simple syrup and then add your ginger to it. let it simmer for a few minutes. This will lessen the intensity of the ginger flavor and get the ginger, sweet, sticky, and ready for baking.  With a slotted spoon remove ginger from the pot, and add to the silicone mat. Toss generously in sugar  and bake at 200 degrees for an hour or until the ginger is dried out. Occasionally toss with a spatula. When the ginger is dry, toss again with sugar  and store in an air tight container until you are ready to use it.

Green Tea Ice- Cream

This is not an original recipe of mine! I acquired this recipe from the Food Network under the Emeril Lagasse Section.

Ingredients:

8 Lg egg yolks

¾ cup + 2 Tbsp sugar

pinch of salt

1 ½ cup whole milk

¼ cup of matcha or ½ cup of loose green tea leaves

2 ½ cups of heavy cream

Method:

Ingredients

8 large egg yolks

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

Pinch salt

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup loose green tea

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

Directions

In a large bowl beat the egg yolks with the sugar and salt. Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, scald the milk. Remove from the heat. Add the tea, cover and steep for 4 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean pot, pressing with a rubber spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Add heavy cream and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Ladle 1/3 of the cream mixture into the eggs and whisk well to combine. Add all the egg mixture to the pot and cook over low heat, stirring, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a clean container and cool in the refrigerator, about 2 hours Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer to a plastic container and keep in the freezer until ready to serve.