I love matcha ice cream

 Versiunea in limba romana: inghetata de matcha/ceai verde

What is Matcha?

A premium Japanese green tea, from the region of Uji Tawara. This region assures the perfect environment for the matcha plants: fog, hills, temperature etc. It is used in the tea ceremony, but also for cakes and  shakes. It is said to be the heart of the Japanese tea ritual for centuries.  Uji Tawara area is well known for it's famous teas:  shincha, gyokuro and sencha. 

 

Advantages

♥ a cup of matcha equals 10 cups of green tea (nutritional value)

♥ rich in antioxidants, fibers and chlorophyll 

♥ no sugar 

♥ contains L-teanine, a relaxing amino acid

♥ contains caffeine, as any green tea 

♥ while drinking matcha, we also consume the plant's leaves, not just an infusion. 

Matcha releases 4-6 hours of "calm" energy in our body.

How is it produced?

Just a few days before the spring harvest, farmers cover the plants with bamboo sheets, reducing the sun reaching the plant. This process is increasing the level of chlorophyll in the leaves. These become dark green, the distinct matcha color. After the harvest, leaves are boiled in vapors and air dried. Later these are sorted and rough parts removed: tencha. Tencha becomes matcha after grinding. Matcha produced from very young leaves has the most intense color and finest texture. 

Type of Matcha

Kama Matcha: Koicha (thick): the richest in amino - acid, complex taste, strong flavor; made of more than 30 years old plants. 

Morning Matcha: Usucha (thin): recommended for beginers; produced from plants younger than 30 years.
Gotcha Matcha: perfect for cakes, smoothies, latte, sauces, etc.
During the tea ritual, Koicha is boiled in less water than Usucha, as Koicha has a softer and sweeter taste.

Why matcha is more expensive than other green teas?

- Japan is a small country; they export only 1 % of the tea production, the rest is for intern consumption;
- the fabrication process is special; a good quality matcha is almost entirely produced manually;
- time between 2 harvesting is long
- a normal grinding stone makes only 40 grams of matcha per hour. 

Info souces: matchasource.com si japanesegreenteaonline.com

Green tea ice cream

I tried matcha ice cream in Japanese restaurants and I just loved it. I knew that David Lebovitz's recipe would be fail proof. No disappointment :). I was so anxious to try it with my freshly bought matcha. Delightful!

250 ml whole fat milk + 150 g sugar + a little salt
500 ml cream + 4 tbsp matcha
6 egg yolks

Slowly heat the milk, sugar and salt, until sugar disolves and milk is warm. Do not boil.  In another bowl mix cream and matcha powder. In another bowl mix egg yolks, pour the warm milk over it, mixing continuously, then pour it right back in the pan, mixing with a silicone spatula, until it thickens. Sieve the eggyolk mixture, and pour it over the matcha & cream. Mix well, until you get a homogenous cream. Cool it over ice and refrigerate it. Prepare it in the ice cream machine, according to producers instructions.  
So refreshing...

Power seeds pie: sesame, quinoa & hemp

Versiunea in limba romana: Placinta cu susan, quinoa si seminte de canepa

Better said: seeds pie :). I have this idea from my friend Andreea GK (thanks, honey) and I transformed it according to my taste. I adore sesame, these cute healthy little seeds  ♥ I have a passion for power foods and lately I've discovered that sesame is full of calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphohorus, vitamin B1, zinc, fibers, sesamin & sesamolin. Quinoa is also a power food I love ( see my post Healthy breakfast - raspberry quinoa breakfast and Quinoa with chickpeas and dry fruits). Recently I've discovered another power seed: hemp.  2 tablespoons of hemp seeds  equals the daily necessary amount of Omega 3 & Omega 6. As I really dislike taking pills as suplements, this was great news to me. Calm, beautiful skin, lower cholesterol + delicious dessert = love. Enjoy!

 

 

1 pie dough (defrosted)
4 - 5 tbsp melted butter
450 g sesame seeds +  4 lg quinoa + 6 tbsp hemp seeds + 250 g grounded almonds + 1 tbsp  grounded cinnamon + 1/2 tsp grounded cloves + 250-300 ml honey (I don't like it too sweet) + zest of one orange

Cut the defrosted pie dough in 2 pieces, brush it with butter, put one piece in an oven tray. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees C.

Wash the quinoa seeds thoroughly, then let drain really well. Heat a pan and put the seeds in it, stirring often, until golden. Mix quinoa, sesame, hemp seeds, almonds, orange zest, spices and honey. Put this mixture in the tray and cover with the second dough piece. Brush with butter. Bake for aprox 50 minutes. When sesame pie is done, let cool, then sieve some confectioner's sugar on top. Enjoy!

Avocado frosting brownies

Versiunea in limba romana: Brownies cu frosting din avocado 

While browsing a beautiful blog, Joy the baker, an intriguing cake recipe got my attention: chocolate cake with avocado cream. Wow... My first reaction? Skeptical. After thinking over and over again about it, an unbelievable desire to try this combination won me over :) My imagination started "working" and I decided that the only way to get rid of this obsession is to actually start cooking. The result: avocado frosting brownies. Perfect combination. Imagine dark chocolate  (>75% cocoa) and creamy, slightly lemony avocado. Not too sweet, as I'm not a big fan of sugary frostings. My favourite brownies! Ok, let's say equally good as my lovely  mascarpone brownies ♥ Enjoy!

200 g dark chocolate (minimum 75% cocoa), cut in small pieces + 200 g unsalted butter, diced
180 g sugar + 3 big eggs, room temperature + 1 tsp vanilla essence
80 g flour, sieved
50 g walnuts, cut in small pieces
1 avocado + 1 tbsp lemon juice (fresh) + 3-4 tbsp confectioner's sugar

Heat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Prepare  a cake ... with butter and baking paper (20x20cm).
Melt the chocolate over bain-marie, mixing from time to time. When chocolate is liquid, remove from heat and add the butter, mixing untill it melts, too. Don't let the chocolate to be in direct contact with the hot water vapors.

In another bowl, mix sugar, vanilla and eggs, untill you get a fluffy cream. Add the flour, little at a time and mix. Add the walnuts and mix. Add the chocolate mixture and mix with a silicon spatula. Pour the batter in the tray and bake it in the oven for 20 minutes.

In the mean time prepare the frosting. Take the avocado, ripe, but not brown, mash it, then add the lemon juice and mix it well. Start adding the sugar, little at a a time, mixing well. I did not use to much sugar, as I'm a big fan of not too sweet frostings, but feel free to adapt it to your taste.

Take the brownies out of the oven and force cool the cake: put the hot tray in a bigger tray with cold water and ice cubes. Let it cool down this way, then cut it. 

Serve the brownies with the avocado frosting. Keep both the brownies and the frosting in refrigerator. I love cold brownies...