Matcha ice cream sandwich recipe
This refreshing, subtly bitter green tea ice cream would be perfect for the end of any Japanese meal. If you're using an ice-cream maker and the bowl needs to be chilled, you can prepare this a day in advance.
Prep time: 20 minutes, plus churning and freezing | Cooking time: 20 minutes
MAKES
Six
INGREDIENTS
6 egg yolks
150g caster sugar
280ml double cream
560ml whole milk
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways and scraped to remove the seeds
2 tbsp matcha powder (green tea powder)
12 digestive biscuits
METHOD
Mix the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl.
Combine the cream, milk, vanilla seeds and vanilla pod in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until just below boiling point. Remove from the heat.
Pour just one ladleful of the liquid into the egg mixture, mix well and then add the rest. Mix completely to dissolve the sugar.
Rinse the saucepan and pour the egg and milk mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the vanilla pod and scrape the custard into a bowl.
Sift the matcha powder over the custard and carefully stir to remove all of the lumps. Cover with cling film until cooled.
Pour the cooled custard into an ice-cream maker and churn according to the machine’s instructions. Alternatively, pour the custard into a container to freeze for two or three hours. Whisk the custard, then return to the freezer and repeat in another two or three hours, until frozen.
To serve, scoop about 90g of the ice cream and sandwich it between two digestive biscuits. You can freeze the sandwiches again to serve later if you wish.
Recipes from Japanese Food Made Easy by Aya Nishimura (Murdoch Books, £14.99), also available as an eBook
