Creamy Hojicha Green Tea Dessert (Print version)

Creamy ice cream infused with roasted, nutty Japanese hojicha green tea for a unique dessert experience.

# What you'll need:

→ Dairy

01 - 2 cups whole milk
02 - 1 cup heavy cream

→ Tea

03 - 3 tablespoons hojicha loose leaf tea (or 4 hojicha tea bags)

→ Yolks & Sugar

04 - 4 large egg yolks
05 - 2/3 cup granulated sugar

→ Salt

06 - Pinch of salt

# Method:

01 - Combine milk and cream in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until steaming but not boiling.
02 - Add hojicha tea to the hot dairy mixture. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes to infuse the roasted tea flavor.
03 - Pour mixture through a fine sieve, pressing on tea leaves to extract maximum flavor. Discard tea leaves and return the infused liquid to the saucepan.
04 - Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a separate bowl until pale and creamy in texture.
05 - Gradually pour the warm hojicha mixture into the yolks while whisking constantly to prevent curdling.
06 - Return mixture to the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until thickened and coating the back of the spoon, about 6 to 8 minutes. Do not allow to boil.
07 - Pour custard through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours until thoroughly chilled.
08 - Churn the chilled custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions until it reaches a soft-serve consistency.
09 - Transfer churned ice cream to an airtight container. Cover and freeze for at least 1 hour before serving to allow it to firm up.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • The roasted tea flavor creates this sophisticated warmth that regular ice cream just cant match
  • Its unexpectedly creamy despite being lighter than many rich desserts
  • People never guess what the secret ingredient is until you tell them
02 -
  • Overheating the custard will cause scrambling, so stay patient and keep that heat low
  • The steeping time matters too much, 10 minutes is the sweet spot between flavor extraction and bitterness
  • Firmly pressing the tea leaves when straining is where you get all that intense roasted flavor
03 -
  • Make the base the day before, the flavors develop so much more depth with extra chilling time
  • If you accidentally overcook the custard, immediately pour it into a blender and puree smooth before chilling

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