Matcha Ice Cream (抹茶アイスクリーム)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Ice cream maker
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Chasen (bamboo tea whisk), or a small balloon whisk
• •Heavy saucepan
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Warm the dairy

   Put the milk, cream, and salt in a saucepan and warm over medium-low heat until small bubbles gather around the edge. Do not boil it. You want the dairy hot enough to loosen the yolks later, not so hot that it scorches and dulls the clean tea flavor.

2. 2

   Whisk the yolks

   In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until the mixture turns lighter and falls from the whisk in a thick ribbon. This dissolves the sugar and gives the custard a smoother body, which matters once it freezes.

3. 3

   Temper the custard

   Pour a ladle of the hot dairy into the yolks while whisking, then add another. Now return everything to the saucepan. This gradual warming is tempering: it teaches the yolks the heat slowly, instead of shocking them into scrambled egg.

4. 4

   Cook until glossy

   Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula, until the custard coats the back of the spoon and a finger drawn through it leaves a clear line, about 170 to 175°F. Keep the heat low. A boiled custard turns grainy, and graininess only becomes more obvious when frozen.

   If you do not use a thermometer, trust the spoon test. The custard should look glossy and slightly thicker, never bubbling.
5. 5

   Bloom the matcha

   Sift the matcha into a small bowl. Whisk in one tablespoon of warm milk from the custard until it becomes a smooth green paste, then whisk that paste into the custard. Matcha clumps easily, so paste first, custard second. That is the small order that keeps the finish clean.

6. 6

   Strain and chill

   Strain the custard through a fine sieve into a clean bowl, pressing lightly with a spatula. This catches any egg flecks and stubborn matcha specks. Cover and chill until completely cold, at least four hours. A cold base churns faster, and faster churning means smaller ice crystals.

7. 7

   Churn and freeze

   Churn in an ice cream maker according to the machine's directions until thick and softly mounded. Transfer to a chilled container, press parchment directly on the surface, and freeze until firm, about two hours. The parchment keeps the surface from drying and taking on freezer flavor.

8. 8

   Serve small

   Let the ice cream stand at room temperature for five minutes before scooping. Serve one or two small scoops in a chilled bowl. Matcha is bitter by nature, and a restrained portion lets that bitterness stay pleasant instead of heavy.

Chef Tips

• •Choose matcha that is vivid green, finely milled, and fragrant as soon as the tin opens. Brown-green powder has already faded, and cream will not rescue it.
• •Sift the matcha every time. It seems fussy until you skip it once and find little green stones in the custard. The sieve is doing quiet, useful work.
• •Do not add vanilla. It is friendly, but too friendly here, and it covers the clean bitterness you made the dish for.
• •For a firmer, cleaner scoop, freeze the finished ice cream in a shallow metal container. It hardens evenly and softens more predictably at the table.

Advance Preparation

• •The custard base can be made one day ahead and chilled overnight before churning.
• •The finished ice cream keeps well for one week. After that, the matcha aroma fades and the freezer begins to speak louder than the tea.
• •Chill the serving bowls for at least fifteen minutes so the small scoops hold their shape.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 160g)