Hōjicha Ice Cream (ほうじ茶アイスクリーム)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Ice cream maker
• •Heavy saucepan
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Heatproof spatula
• •Instant-read thermometer, optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Warm the dairy

   Put the milk and cream in a heavy saucepan and warm them over medium-low heat until small bubbles gather at the edge and the surface looks gently quivering. Don't let it boil. Dairy boiled hard takes on a cooked taste, and the tea has enough roast of its own.

2. 2

   Steep the hōjicha

   Take the pan off the heat, stir in the hōjicha, cover, and steep for 10 minutes. The liquid should turn light brown and smell of toasted grain, nuts, and warm leaves. Longer isn't always better here. Past a point, the tea gives bitterness instead of fragrance.

   Use loose roasted tea, not bottled tea. Bottled hōjicha is already diluted and often sweetened, so the ice cream tastes thin before it ever reaches the freezer.
3. 3

   Strain the tea

   Strain the steeped dairy through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, pressing only lightly on the leaves. A gentle press returns the trapped cream. A hard squeeze pulls out rough tannins, and then the bitterness follows you all the way to the spoon.

4. 4

   Whisk the yolks

   In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, glucose syrup if using, and salt until the mixture looks thick and slightly paler. The sugar begins dissolving into the yolks, which helps the custard cook evenly instead of tightening in little grains.

5. 5

   Temper the custard

   Slowly ladle about one cup of the warm hōjicha dairy into the yolks while whisking constantly, then pour the loosened yolk mixture back into the saucepan. This gradual warming is tempering. It brings the eggs up gently, so they thicken the base instead of curdling on contact.

6. 6

   Cook until silky

   Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the custard lightly coats the spatula, 5 to 8 minutes. If you use a thermometer, aim for 170 to 175 F. The base should look smooth and slightly thicker, never bubbling hard.

   The custard is ready when a finger drawn across the coated spatula leaves a clean path. Stop there. More heat gives you firmness in the wrong place.
7. 7

   Strain and chill

   Strain the custard into a clean container, then cool it quickly over an ice bath or let it stand briefly before refrigerating. Chill at least 4 hours, preferably overnight. A fully cold base churns finer because the ice crystals form smaller and faster.

8. 8

   Churn and harden

   Churn in an ice cream maker according to the machine's directions until thick and softly mounded. Pack into a chilled container, press parchment directly on the surface, cover, and freeze until firm, about 2 hours. The parchment keeps the surface from drying and picking up freezer smells.

9. 9

   Serve restrained

   Let the ice cream stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before scooping. Serve one or two small scoops in chilled bowls, with a pinch of roasted tea powder if you like. Keep the portion modest. The flavor is roasted and quiet, and it reads better when it isn't buried under abundance.

Chef Tips

• •Buy hōjicha that smells vivid when the bag opens: roasted, warm, and clean, never stale or dusty. The tea is the dish, so don't ask tired leaves to carry it.
• •If you have stem hōjicha, called kuki hōjicha, use it here. The stems often bring a rounded roasted aroma and gentle sweetness that sits beautifully with cream.
• •Glucose syrup is optional, but useful. A spoonful helps keep the ice cream scoopable by limiting large ice crystals, and mild honey can stand in if its flavor stays quiet.
• •Don't add matcha for color. Hōjicha ice cream should be tan, not green. Let it be itself.

Advance Preparation

• •The custard base can be made one day ahead and kept refrigerated. Overnight chilling improves both texture and tea flavor.
• •The finished ice cream keeps well for about one week with parchment pressed to the surface. After that it is still usable, but the tea aroma begins to fade.
• •Chill the storage container before churning so the freshly churned ice cream firms quickly and stays smooth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 150g)