matcha white chocolate ice cream

if you haven’t made this ice cream yet, stop reading now and go make it immediately!

I have been in a decidedly ‘Japanese’ mood for the past few weeks, getting bento boxes or sushi for lunch almost every other day, slurping soba noodles and miso soup at home, stocking up on Japanese goodies in the Arigato supermarket in Soho (48-50 Brewer Street) and treating myself to a lovely assortiment of Japanese plates and bowls from the Japan Centre shop.

And so, when I saw a matcha white chocolate ice cream (with recipe!) on Kuidaore, I couldn’t wait to make a batch myself. I hadn’t touched my matcha supply since I used it in a pound cake, and my little box of matcha was starting to feel neglected. I decided I couldn’t wait until the weekend to make this, and so, after work, a quick grocery trip was required. But somehow, every single shop I tried seemed to have run out of white chocolate! However, I simply had to make the ice cream there and then, so I kept on trawling the shops and finally found a stack of Green & Black’s white chocolate. Arriving home about 2 hours later than planned (yes, I really wanted the ice cream that badly) with my precious white chocolate, I set to work.

Making the ice cream is an absolute doddle and the result is out-of-this world good. So good, in fact, that I think I had a religious experience when I first dipped my finger in the custard and stuck it in my mouth. And again with every single taste I’ve had since. No singing angels or anything though, just a feeling of pure and utter bliss. The cloying sweetness of the white chocolate and bitterness of the matcha make for a perfectly balanced pairing - it is very rich though, so one small scoop is more than enough. I scooped mine on one of my beautiful new Japanese plates and sprinkled it with some black sesame seeds.

Seems like I’m not the only one absolutely smitten - check out Jaden and Brilynn's versions. But before you do that, go and make this ice cream. Now!

recipe
adapted from Kuidaore

375ml double cream
375ml milk
100g caster sugar
1/8 tsp fine salt
4 large egg yolks
200g white chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp matcha, sieved

Bring cream, milk, sugar and salt to a simmer over low heat, stirring constantly. Whisk egg yolks and add cream mixture in a slow and steady stream. Return to pan and cook custard until it thickens (make sure it doesn’t boil or it will curdle). Strain into bowl and set aside. Melt chocolate (I did this in the microwave, 2 30-second blasts were just right) and blend thoroughly with matcha. Add chocolate mixture to custard. Refrigerate overnight* and then churn in ice cream maker, according to instructions. Or, if like me, you still don’t have an ice cream maker**, put in freezer and stir every half hour or so until frozen.

* this is how I discovered it would also make for excellent little cream pots; when I came home from work the next evening after work and wanted to plonk it in the freezer, I couldn’t resist sneaking another taste and found it had set to a lovely cream pot consistency
** I recently found out Kitchenaid has an ice cream making attachment. I don’t have a Kitchenaid either (it’s on my wish list), but S has informed me the only reason he hasn’t bought me one yet, is that he doesn’t know what colour to buy. Only problem is, he likes the red one, I like the orange one. Or the yellow one. Or the surf green one, such a cool colour, in a surf dude kind of way.