For our tenth entry in Making Matcha Recipes, we made the second of two newly formulated Matcha recipes - Premium Matcha Ice Cream. The summer weather is finally beginning to roll in with the temperatures reaching into the 90s these past two weeks in Southern California and what better way to welcome it than with a new ice cream recipe?
Take a look at the whole post below as well as thoughts and impressions on the process of making it.
When you’re finished reading this post, we recommend looking over the previous nine installments of Making Matcha Recipes: Matcha Krispy Treats, Matcha Chocolate Cottage Cake, Matcha Tofu Ice Cream, Matcha Chocolate Chip Rice Cookies, Matcha White Chocolate Salted Caramel Bonbons, Matcha Hot Chocolate, Matcha Chocolate Dipped Madeleines, Matcha Roll Cookies, and Matcha Ice Cream.
Making Matcha Recipes Part X: Premium Matcha Ice Cream
Daniel Says:
“When coming up with our Matcha ice cream recipes, I tried to stick as close to the advice we give our own customers – mix Matcha in with your favorite standard ice cream base (usually vanilla) and treat the same as you would any other ice cream. In the process of finding a good ice cream base, I read a number of recipes and suggestions on how to make vanilla ice creams and there are basically two general camps the recipes can be grouped into – the cream only method and the egg yolk custard method. Our previous Matcha ice cream recipe was a nod to the former camp while this time is a recognition of the latter. The method for both is pretty much the same so I am going to reiterate some of the tips from before while adding just one or two more for dealing with the egg yolks.
Again, the best advice is to pay careful attention to the recipe and set aside enough time to make your ice cream in a relaxed fashion. My tips for this recipe are:
Cream Temperature:
As it notes in the recipe, you need to heat the ingredients together at two different times during preparation. Being presented with a specific temperature can seem kind of daunting but it doesn’t have to be. If you don’t have a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature down to the degree, you simply need to watch the heat you apply and the surface of the mixture. Let it gradually heat on low (no higher than medium heat) and as soon as the first bubbles begin to come up and the mixture is gently steaming, you’ve reached the correct temperature and should take it off the heat immediately.
Egg Yolk Treatment:
Color:
After separating your egg yolks from the whites, you need to beat them together. While they start out as a deep yellow-orange, you want to beat them together until they slightly lighten in color and are more pale. Making sure to beat your egg yolks well will lead to a better texture and overall smoothness when the ice cream is done.
Adding the Sugar:
Remember, it is not a race to get the recipe done as soon as possible. When adding in the sugar, do so slowly so it can become well incorporated. If you add it all in only once or twice the sugar can clump together and adversely affect the finished texture.
Tempering the Egg Yolks:
If the sugar needs to be added in slowly, the hot cream mixture should be added in glacially. You are not aiming to cook the egg yolks quickly with this step. What you are trying to do is slowly bring them up to temperature without scrambling them. The best advice for this step is to add the warm cream little by little (1/8 cup at most) and make sure to be continuously mixing while doing so. If you add too much and the yolks begin to scramble, you need to start again.
Mixing without an Ice Cream Maker:
The process of making ice cream without an ice cream maker takes more time but it isn’t more difficult. After letting the mixture mingle in the refrigerator overnight, transfer it to the freezer and leave it there for 45 minutes. Then you simply need to take it out and stir it around well. This helps create a more even texture throughout the ice cream and also prevents extremely large ice crystals from forming. If you have a hand mixer, it would be best for the most consistent result. By constantly mixing it around, you make the freezing process more gradual and the final product is very smooth. It took about 4 hours to finish off but I was able to work on other things while it was setting in the freezer every 45 minutes.”
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All the ingredients you will need for this recipe.
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Heat the cream and half-and-half together in a pot.
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Beat the egg yolks until they turn pale and lighten in color.
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Stream in the sugar a little at a time.
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Add the warm cream to the eggs slowly. (Glacially might be the better verb to use.)
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After the eggs are tempered, return the whole mixture to the heat.
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Sift the Matcha directly into the mixture and whisk well.
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Allow the mixture to condense until it can coat the back of a spoon as pictured.
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Transfer the mixture to a container to refrigerate.
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The “soft serve” consistency you are looking for before the final freeze.
