Makes: About 1 quart/1 liter
I fell in love with matcha (the powdered green tea of the Japanese tea ceremony) on my first trip to Japan, and when I returned home I began using it in cakes, meringue, and whipped cream. A few years later, on a visit to Vancouver, Canada, I delighted in it as a cold drink. So, of course, it had to become an ice cream as well. Matcha is the finest possible powder, which makes it difficult to measure and impossible to integrate fully into the custard base without the use of a blender.
Ice Cream Base
| matcha green tea powder | 11 grams | 2 tablespoons, packed |
| 7 (to 11) large egg yolks | 130 grams | ½ cup (118 ml) |
| milk | 181 grams | ¾ cup (177 ml) |
| heavy cream | 522 grams | 2¼ cups (532 ml), divided |
| sugar | 133 grams | ⅔ cup |
| glucose or reduced corn syrup | 42 grams | 2 tablespoons (30 ml) |
| fine sea salt | . | a pinch |
* Have ready a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a medium bowl containing the matcha.
1) In a medium saucepan, with a silicone spatula, stir together the egg yolks, milk, and 290 grams/1¼ cups/296 ml of the cream, until well blended. Stir in the sugar, glucose, and salt until the sugar has dissolved.
2) Heat the mixture on medium-low, stirring constantly with a silicone spatula, until slightly thicker than heavy cream. When a finger is run across the back of the spatula, it will leave a well-defined track. An instant-read thermometer should read 170° to 180°F/77° to 82°C.
3) Immediately pour the mixture into the strainer, scraping up the thickened mixture that has settled on the bottom of the pan. Press it through the strainer and scrape any mixture clinging to the underside into the bowl.
4) Stir in the matcha and then stir in the remaining cream (232 grams/1 cup/237 ml). Transfer the mixture to a blender and whirl it on low speed to break up the particles of green tea, or use an immersion blender. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours or until no warmer than 43°F/6°C. (Alternatively, cool in an ice water bath.) Set a covered storage container in the freezer.
5) Churn the green tea custard in a prechilled ice cream maker. Transfer the ice cream to the chilled container. Press a piece of plastic wrap on the surface of the ice cream, cover the container, and allow the ice cream to firm in the freezer for at least 4 hours before serving.
Store
Covered storage container: frozen, 3 days