GREEN TEA ICE CREAM

When making green tea ice cream, it is best to use finely ground green tea powder, called matcha, which easily dissolves into the milk and cream and infuses the ice cream base with a full flavor. You can find it in the tea section of some supermarkets or buy it from a tea specialist

YIELD: Makes about 1 quart

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT: Ice cream machine

CHILLING TIME: 2 hours or overnight

SHELF LIFE: 1 week

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon matcha powder
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1¾ cups heavy cream
• ¾ cup 1% or 2% milk
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Make the base: In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the yolks just to break them up, then whisk in the matcha and half of the sugar (6 tablespoons). Try to make sure that the matcha is evenly distributed and not clumpy. Set aside.
2. In a heavy nonreactive saucepan, stir together the cream, milk, salt, and the remaining sugar (6 tablespoons) and put the pan over medium-high heat. When the mixture approaches a bare simmer, reduce the heat to medium.
3. Carefully scoop out about ½ cup of the hot cream mixture and, whisking the eggs constantly, add the cream to the bowl with the egg yolks. Repeat, adding another ½ cup of the hot cream to the bowl with the yolks. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, stir the cream in the saucepan as you slowly pour the egg-and-cream mixture from the bowl into the pan.
4. Cook the mixture carefully over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it is thickened, coats the back of a spatula, and holds a clear path when you run your finger across the spatula, about 1 to 2 minutes longer.
5. Strain the base through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container. (Don’t worry if you still have a few tiny clumps of matcha powder; they’ll smooth out as the ice cream churns.) Set the container into an ice-water bath, wash your spatula, and use it to stir the base occasionally until it is cool. Remove the container from the ice-water bath, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate the base for at least 2 hours or overnight.
6. Freeze the ice cream: Freeze in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. While the ice cream is churning, put the container you’ll use to store the ice cream into the freezer. Enjoy right away or, for a firmer ice cream, transfer to the chilled container and freeze for at least 4 hours.

NOTE:

• It is best to use finely ground green tea powder, called matcha, which easily dissolves into the milk and cream and infuses the ice cream base with a full flavor. You can find it in the tea section of some supermarkets or buy it from a tea specialist.