Matcha Daifuku

We've been addicted to mochi ice cream since we first tried them 24 years ago. Nowadays we buy a variety of sweet filled mochi called Daifuku from the Asian store but mochi ice cream is still our favorite.

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Green Tea With Kinako Ice Cream, Gianduja-Stracciatella Gelato & Malted Milk Ice Cream

green tea with kinako

I couldn't decide which one is my latest favorite ice cream flavor from THE PERFECT SCOOP by David Lebovitz, they all are yummylicious! I have made both the Malted Milk ice cream and the oh so creamy Gianduja-Stracciatella gelato twice already but the Green Tea Topped With Kinako (roasted soy bean powder) is also becoming a real favorite. I'm thinking of making mochi and filling them with the green tea ice cream, then coat the mochi with kinako.

Green Tea Ice Cream Topped With Kinako1 cup whole milk
¾ cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups heavy cream
4 teaspoons matcha (green tea powder)
6 large egg yolks

• Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. Pour the cream into a large bowl and whisk in the green tea powder. Set a mesh strainer on top.In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
• Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream, then whisk it vigorously until the custard is frothy to dissolve the green tea powder. Stir and cool over an ice bath.
• Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. Pre-freeze scoops of ice cream and sprinkle them with kinako, available in Asian stores. This flavor is also excellent with sweet azuki beans, really delicious.

Gianduja-Stracciatella Gelato

1½ cups hazelnuts, toasted
1 cup milk
2 cups heavy cream
¾ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
4 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
5 large egg yolks

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

• Rub the hazelnuts in a kitchen towel to remove as much of the papery skins as possible, then finely chop them in a food processor or blender.
• Warm the milk with 1 cup of the cream, sugar, and salt in a saucepan. Once warm, remove from the heat and add the chopped hazelnuts. Cover and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Put the chocolate milk pieces in a large bowl. Heat the remaining cup of cream in a medium saucepan until it begins to boil. Pour it over the milk chocolate pieces and stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Set a mesh strainer over the top.
• Pour the hazelnut-infused milk through a strainer into a medium saucepan, squeezing the nuts firmly with your hands to extract as much of the flavorful liquid as possible. Discard the hazelnuts.
• Re-warm the hazelnut-infused mixture. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm hazelnut mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
• Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the milk chocolate mixture. Add the vanilla and stir over an ice bath.
• Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Stracciatella:
5 ounces bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped (do not use chocolate chips)

• In a clean dry bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate, stirring until it's completely smooth. Drizzle a very thin stream of the warm chocolate into the ice cream during the last possible moments of churning, or by hand while you layer it into the storage container. (I used one of those plastic sauce bottles for really thin drizzles.)

Malted Milk Ice Cream

1 cup half-and-half
¾ cup sugar
pinch of salt
2 cups heavy cream
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup malt powder
6 large egg yolks
2 cups malted milk balls, coarsely chopped

• Warm the half-and-half, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan. In a large bowl, whisk together the heavy cream, vanilla, and malt powder and set a mesh strainer on top.
• In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
• Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and whisk it into the malted milk mixture. Stir until cool over an ice bath.
• Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. As you remove the ice cream from the machine, fold in the chopped malted milk balls.