Thanks for the Meal

Tag: Matcha

  • How to Make Keto Matcha Ice Cream

    How to Make Keto Matcha Ice Cream

    Green tea has a tremendous amount of health benefits – the EGCG compounds in the drink have been known to be anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and good for your blood sugar and weight loss. It’s also delicious, and with a fraction of the caffeine as coffee, it’s a great choice for health-minded people who love the crisp, light, refreshing taste.

    But forget all of that, because we’re going to make ice cream with it. Now admittedly, it’s going to be keto ice cream, so it will be worlds healthier than traditional recipes, but still – ice cream, yum.

    The good news is that it’s incredibly easy to make and there’s nothing truly crazy or exotic in the recipe. Japanese keto recipes are easier than you might think! A little mixing, a ready ice cream maker, and you can throw this keto matcha ice cream together in about half an hour.

    Matcha Source for matcha green tea powder

    Green tea ice cream

    While it’s not exceedingly common in US households, matcha ice cream is a staple in Japan. It’s light and refreshing, but still sweet and satisfying. Additionally, as I spoke about before, there are a lot of additional health benefits to green tea that are concentrated in the powdered matcha form. Teabags are fine for drinking, but for this, you’ll need culinary-grade matcha powder. Check out one of my favorites from MatchaSource!

    Thankfully, it’s become increasingly easy to find. If you’re lucky enough to have an Asian market in your town, they’ll definitely have it, but many grocery stores – including Walmart – carry it now. Typically it comes in tins but there are also pouches, and you don’t need to get organic or anything – regular matcha powder works just fine.

    metal tablespoon with bright green powdered matcha

    Though on its surface, matcha is a green tea, it’s not made by steeping leaves the way that you might normally find green teas. Instead, you whisk the powder into boiling water, creating a frothy, smooth, delicious drink that pops with fresh, living flavor.

    This ice cream embodies that freshness, creating a wonderfully sweet yet refreshing dessert that won’t throw you out of ketosis.

    Keto Matcha Ice Cream

    Making keto matcha ice cream with an ice cream maker is incredibly simple, and can be put together in a matter of minutes. You’ll want to make sure your ice cream maker bowl is frozen for at least 24 hours before proceeding.

    Ingredients:

    • 2 cups of heavy cream
    • 1-2 shots of sake or vodka (this isn’t necessary but it will decrease the iciness of the finished ice cream)
    • 1/4 tsp xanthan gum (this is also not necessary but will make the end product creamier and again, less icy)
    • 1/3 cup Swerve, Truvia, or another sugar-free sweetener
    • 2 tbsp matcha powder

    Using a whisk or hand mixer, blend everything together until it’s well incorporated and pour into running ice cream maker. Churn for 15 minutes – it will get to the consistency of soft serve.

    At this point, it’s perfect to eat right now. The texture will be a lot like custard; very creamy and smooth. Save whatever is left in an airtight container with a layer of wax paper on top and eat within a week for best taste and consistency.

    black bowl with green tinted ice cream

    Don’t be afraid of making your own ice cream

    Many people who use ketosis as a means to lose weight miss getting ice cream with their family, because either they don’t have an ice cream maker or they simply feel it’s too daunting. You can make this without an ice cream maker – just mix it as normal, put it into a container, and let it freeze. It won’t have the exact same consistency, but it will still taste delicious and scratch that itch for cold, sweet refreshment.

    If you’re on the fence because making ice cream seems just a little too extra, don’t let the process scare you off. Making keto ice cream – or ice cream in general – is extremely simple and once you’ve done it the first time, throwing a batch together will be second-nature. Keto doesn’t have to be bacon and eggs all the time; there are so many ways to enjoy healthier, low carb versions of your favorite foods without buying them premade at the store with a ridiculous markup.

    Homemade keto matcha ice cream destroys any $7 pint of store-bought ice cream in both flavor and texture. I highly recommend this recipe, not only for the fresh matcha kick it offers, but also as a base for any other keto ice cream you want to try. Simply swap out the matcha powder for 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite extract.

    If you’ve given this recipe a whirl, let me know in the comments what you thought of it. Enjoy!

    Fit2Father Tony Lozzi

     

    About the Author: Tony Lozzi is a freelance writer and father of two who enjoys finding ways to turn his favorite carby foods into keto recipes.

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  • Japanese Inspired Cocktails

    Japanese Inspired Cocktails

    cocktail with herbs japanese

    Corina Seligman, my niece, is back again as a guest blogger, offering up some amazing Japanese Inspired Cocktails! I call her my secret Sake goddess!

    Here are some of my favorite classic cocktail formulas reimagined using ingredients like Shiso, Japanese beer, Japanese pear, Japanese Whisky, Yuzu, Japanese black honey and Matcha tea.

    *If the names of the drinks sound funny it’s because my other signature touch is to name cocktails after songs. Kampai!

    Japanese Cocktail Recipes

    My recipes may include affiliate links, so without costing you anything extra, I’ll earn a small percentage of the sales if you purchase these items through these links. Thank you for your support!

    REMEMBER THE DJS

    Ingredients:

    2 ozs dark, aged rum (I suggest Zacapa or Flor de Cana)

    .75 oz unsweetened strawberry puree, strained

    .5 oz fresh lemon juice

    Shiso Leaf
    Shiso Leaf

    .5 oz Shiso*-infused Orgeat (almond-flavored syrup)

    Garnish: Shiso leaf

    Method:

    Put all ingredients together in a tumbler with ice. Shake hard. Double strain and serve on the rocks in a bucket glass (the same as a highball glass.)  Garnish with a shiso leaf along the side of the glass.

    *Shiso is a Japanese herb in the mint family. You can find this in most Asian supermarkets.

    To make Shiso-infused Orgeat– Use a high-quality Orgeat, add 8 fresh shiso leaves per cup and leave covered for 48 hours before removing the leaves.

    LIFE ON MARS

    Ingredients:

    1.75 ozs Japanese Whisky (I suggest Mars Iwai)

    1 oz fresh lemon juice

    .75 oz candied orange peel syrup

    2 dashes orange bitters

    Coedo Shiro* beer float

    Garnish: Orange peel

    Method:

    Put all ingredients together except beer in a tumbler with ice. Shake hard. Strain and pour over a large ice block into a bucket glass. Add beer float. Garnish with an orange peel.

    *Coedo Shiro – Coedo is my favorite Japanese beer brand. Shiro, meaning white, is the Japanese version of Hefeweizen.

    To make Candied Orange Peel Syrup – Bring 3 cups of sugar and 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add the peels of 2 large oranges and simmer until the peel is very soft, about 45 minutes. Remove orange peels and save the liquid.

     

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    Arigatou Gozaimasu / ありがとうございますいます –Lucy

    PLAYER’S BALL

    Ingredients:

    1.75 ozs Gin (I suggest Nolet’s)

    1.25 ozs Japanese pear (nashi) puree

    .25 oz lemon juice

    2 dashes lemon bitters

    Brut Cava (or Prosecco) float

    Garnish: Grapefruit peel and freshly grated Nutmeg

    Method:

    Put all ingredients together except Cava in a tumbler with ice. Shake hard. Double strain and pour into a chilled coupe (rounded stemmed cocktail glass) glass. Fill the rest of the glass with a Brut Cava float. Garnish with Grapefruit peel and freshly grated Nutmeg.

    To make Japanese Pear puree – Peel and quarter pear. Gently cook in saucepan with two parts water, one part sugar, covered until soft, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly, then blend until smooth.

     

    JAPANESE BREAKFAST

    Ingredients:

    2 ozs Japanese Whisky (I suggest Nikka Coffey Grain)

    .75 oz Yuzu juice*

    1 oz Kuromitsu**

    Garnish: Shiso leaf

    *Yuzu is a traditional aromatic Japanese citrus. While distinct from other citrus fruit, it’s somewhat akin to a cross between grapefruit and tangerine.

    **Kuromitsu is a Japanese sugar syrup, literally “black honey.” It is similar to molasses, but thinner and milder.

    Method:

    Put all ingredients together in a tumbler with ice. Shake hard. Strain and serve on the rocks in a bucket glass. Garnish with a shiso leaf along the side of the glass.

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    MATCHA SOUR

    Matcha tea

    Ingredients:

    2 ozs Matcha*-infused Vodka (I suggest Hanger One)

    .75 oz freshly squeezed lemon juice

    .75 oz simple syrup

    1 egg white from a small to medium egg

    *Matcha is finely ground powder of specially grown and processed Japanese green tea leaves.

    Garnish: Candied Ginger

    Method:

    Put all ingredients except egg white together in a tumbler with ice. Shake hard. Strain out the ice, add egg white and one single ice cube to “dry shake” until frothy. Double strain and serve in a coup glass. Garnish with a piece of candied ginger.

    Make Matcha-infused Vodka:

    Mix 1 teaspoon of matcha powder with 8 ozs vodka in a mason jar, shake vigorously. Let sit overnight or longer for desired strength. Then strain through a cheesecloth or coffee filter to remove tea particles.

    Corina Seligman has been in the hospitality industry for 17 years working behind every kind of bar possible between the Bay Area and New York City. In 2014 she found her passion in sake when she worked at Ozumo Oakland, which housed the largest sake selection in the East Bay. Eventually she was promoted to bar and hospitality manager and continued to deepen her knowledge under the supervision of the company’s director of sake. This experience brought her to the attention of Empire Merchants liquor distributors in New York City where she was hired as the company’s first and only sake specialist where she worked exclusively with the Joto Sake portfolio for a year. Her passion is in sharing her love for sake and Japanese cocktail ingredients with American consumers, showing that they can be enjoyed with all types of cuisine and in a variety of settings. She has been bartending for almost two decades now and have probably created at least 100 original cocktail recipes. Given her background as a sake specialist and experience with Japanese cuisine, the most fun she has had behind the bar is when she uses Japanese ingredients.


    Leave a note in the comments section and let me know which of these Japanese inspired cocktails you plan to try first!

  • Kettl Tea of Brooklyn, New York

    Kettl Tea of Brooklyn, New York

    Readers are always sharing new “Japanese finds” with me either when I am traveling or at home in the Bay area. This blog post about Kettl Tea is as a result of my niece, Corina Seligman. (Have you read her guest post on sake btw?) She knows of my passionate love of all things Matcha and suggested I go. Since I was staying in Brooklyn for a few nights after dropping my daughter off to college for her freshman year, (Sob, sigh, pride…) the subway was a breeze since my friend and hostess, Susan, is the Subway Master! I can’t wait to go back.kettl tea Brooklyn NY

    During a recent trip to New York City to settle my daughter into her first year of college, I discovered Kettl Tea, an absolutely charming little Japanese tea and ceramic shop, situated in a small gallery space, based in Brooklyn. Although Zach Mangan, the owner, wasn’t there during my visit (I found out later that he was in Japan sourcing tea), my friend Susan and I were excellently taken care by Emma Porter, who was managing the store in his absence.

    It was a very hot and humid late summer day, so I asked Emma if she could make us an iced Matcha flight. She served us two matchas to enjoy.  Uchu, from Uji City, Japan was classically elegant, sophisticated with a mild tart finish. The other one was Hibiki from Hoshinomura, Japan, was creamy, smooth and had a lingering grassy aroma that I adore. Susan had never had Matcha, but fell in love with the taste. Being Matcha-obsessed, I was in heaven. This little oasis of serenity was so enticing, that we lingered over our Matchas, talking to Emma about Kettl’s teas and exquisite teaware ceramics, and her passion for kaiseki ryori (traditional Japanese multi-course haute cuisine) for a long time.

    Kettlkettl tea Brooklyn NY sells a wide variety of Japanese teas, from Matcha, Sencha, Gyokuro to Soba Cha, Oolong, to Houjicha and so on.

    They call themselves a NYC/Fukuoka based tea company. Like Breakaway Matcha on the West Coast, Kettl, sources their teas directly from 14 different growers/suppliers that they have a personal and ongoing relationship with from 8 different prefectures in Japan. They consider them all to be their partners. Their teas are shipped weekly from Fukuoka, Japan. Once again, I love finding small companies in the States who are obsessed with introducing hand-crafted Japanese beverages and or foods. I will be writing about another find of mine called The Japanese Pantry here in the Bay Area in an upcoming posting.

    Next time, I plan to make a day of it and visit Okonomi Restaurant, which serves Japanese breakfast in the mornings and Ramen at night! I love it! Like Kettl, they also offer cooking classes. According to Kettl’s website, Japanese tea is their passion. No doubt about that!

    Kettl Tea
    150 Ainslie St., 2nd Floor, Brooklyn NY, 11211
    Open Weekdays 11am – 4pm / Weekends 11am – 6pm
    Closed Tuesday and Wednesday

    All photos © copyright Jonathan Hokklo.

    kettl tea Brooklyn NY kettl tea Brooklyn NY

     

     

     

     

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  • Interview with Eric Gower of Breakaway Matcha

    A number of months ago I was reading an article online at mindbodygreen.com and it mentioned Eric Gower of Breakaway Matcha, located in Marin County and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of it considering my total obsession with Matcha (high quality finely ground powdered green tea from Japan, primarily from the area surrounding Kyoto); especially since it is literally in my backyard so to speak! So I tracked Eric down, and we sat down a few weeks later over icy frothy cups of matcha for a far reaching and jam-packed conversation on matcha, Japan, love, food, our daughters, and lots more. And then, a few days later, I broke my other ankle…ie, my  2nd ankle of 2017 and that was that for a very long time! But, I’m getting back on my feet!, back in the kitchen, and very happily back to writing my blog. So, here is my long awaited interview with Eric Gower of Breakaway Matcha. Thankfully, I bought a matcha flight  as I was leaving that helped ease me through weeks of being stuck at home in a cast! I especially liked Blend #97 that I found had that perfect blend of green vibrancy and sprightliness that only properly shaken coldbrew matcha elicits! There is a whift of grassiness when you first drink first rate matcha that makes me go weak in the knees…..

    This post may include affiliate links, so without costing you anything extra, I’ll earn a small percentage of the sales if you purchase these items through these links. Thank you for your support!

    Breakaway Matcha

    Why, matcha?

    Eric Gower: “It’s love really, I mean it’s all about love. I drank a lot of matcha in Japan. I wasn’t too much into their ceremony, you know, you’ve probably been to as many as I have. I’ve drunk dozens and dozens of these things and I really liked the matchas that some of them served me, but a lot of them weren’t very good, and not very interesting.  I liked it, when it was hot, it was really special. It was life changing, so different from so many other beverages and I just kept the dive going and I just kept learning more and more about it.”

    And why call it breakaway matcha?!

    EG: “It’s based on my two cookbooks (The Breakaway Japanese Kitchen and The Breakaway Cook) that take Japanese ingredients and do some unusual things with them. You know living in Japan for 16 years and surrounded by so much good food and all these classic Japanese restaurants. I didn’t feel the need to replicate all the classics but I did fall in love with Japanese ingredients and I tried to isolate the Japanese ingredients I liked and kind of make them star in kind of a non-Japanese way, a lot of which was driven by whatever I could find in farmers markets.  You could make really simple and quite lovely food that broke away from all the Japanese cuisine.  We just decided to call it the breakaway Japanese kitchen then I remember being called the breakaway cook and then so when I was trying to give a name to this matcha thing, then why not stick with breakaway too?”

    the breakaway cook by eric gower
    the breakaway japanese kitchen by eric gower
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    Need books?

    I’m buying mine from Abe Books now in an effort to support smaller businesses. They have new and used options and harder to find books, including all of my favorite Japanese cookbooks! You can support Thanks for the Meal by clicking on this banner to buy your books.

    Arigatou Gozaimasu / ありがとうございますいます –Lucy

    What are some of  the benefits of matcha?

    EG: “Oh geez! A lot of them. Really I find it with men more than women, for me it keeps me hydrated all day long because I don’t drink water (I don’t know why) but I do drink coldbrew matcha all day. It also has high levels of antioxidants.  Some other benefits include reducing stress, as it includes L-theanine, an amino acid known for its calming effect, supporting healthy teeth and gums by killing off bacteria that causes bad breath, and the list goes on and on!”

    It doesn’t keep you up all night?

    EG: “No. I sleep like a baby every night!”

    Does it have caffeine?

    EG: (According to their website): “Yes, but not so much: 25mg or so per cup (in contrast, a brewed cup of coffee has about 100mg. So it has about a quarter of the caffeine of coffee.”

    What are you looking for in a great matcha?

    The five pillars of a great matcha (according to their website) is:

    • electric color
    • maximum umami
    • lack of bitterness and plethora of natural sweetness
    • good/balanced acid structure, and
    • extra-long, beautiful finish

    You are doing so many different things, are you still a private chef?

    EG: “Not really, the last private chef gig that I did was 2 years ago. In the last 5 years I haven’t really done more than a handful of private chef events, ever since matcha came along. I would much rather focus my energy doing this. It’s easier, it’s better, it has way more potential, and it’s enjoyable. I mean being a private chef is hard, it’s just brutal really, I mean you can’t really trust that the person or where you’re going is going to have what you need. Dismantling your entire kitchen, loading it in the car and doing it again and shopping takes up to 2 days. You couldn’t charge enough; you can’t charge enough to make a living.”

    “And it’s exhausting (it’s completely exhausting) and you have a family which is why I stopped teaching because…”

    Eric to Lucy: “Are you a cooking teacher?”

    LS: “Yes, I was for years but it didn’t work out long-term after I became a single Mom, it was impossible to do, when my daughter was younger.”

    What is your relationship with restaurants and what are you doing with them?

    EG: “We create many programs for restaurants and there’s a new one called Single Thread Farm in Healdsburg, I don’t know if you have heard of this one. It’s remarkable. You can order room service there with a couple of different grades of matcha. They create quite a few pastries with matcha as well. That’s a pretty developed matcha program, and we also work with Nomad Hotel, both in NYC and the recently opened downtown Los Angeles location, where they really wanted a matcha program, which is wonderful.”

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    Do you have a favorite local Japanese restaurant in Marin County?

    EG: “Yes, there is a wonderful restaurant and it’s really really good and I don’t say that lightly! I don’t like most Japanese food that I’ve had but this is very good. It’s called Village in Fairfax, California.”

    So what do you see happening next for you in Breakaway Matcha?

    EG: “I don’t know. We continue to grow. Matcha as a category is growing like wildfire which is really nice, the timing is very good. We kind of positioned ourselves at the extreme upper end of the market. It’s a good place to be rather than battling it out at the bottom. It’ll be really cool, and great to reintroduce this style of matcha in Japan. There’s long history of things that go abroad and then kind of move that way back in Japan in some different form.  It will be wonderful. I really think it will be widely accepted, I’m quite sure, it’s just that we’re still building the business here and not quite ready. I think a similar thing can happen in Europe. My wife is German. I grew up in Germany but was born here. We’d love to live in either Holland or Germany for a while, I may try to start a European branch as well as a Japanese branch. It’ll be great.”

    Breakaway Matcha sells 12 Hyperpremium matcha blends (think rare fine wines, each unique in their own way), a variety of coldbrew versions (my personal fav at the moment), and culinary for well, for culinary purposes (such as baking or cooking or using it as an ingredient)!

    Breakaway Matcha is offering readers 10% off + free shipping! Just use the code THANKSFORTHEMEAL. www.breakawaymatcha.com

    matcha cold brew

    *Photos courtesy of Breakaway Matcha.

    Leave a note in the comments section (see below) of your favorite Matcha drink and or food!

    Breakaway Matcha interview
  • Get Breakaway Matcha Delivered With A Special Offer for Thanks For the Meal Readers

    Get Breakaway Matcha Delivered With A Special Offer for Thanks For the Meal Readers

    Breakaway Matcha

    I admit it, that I am very obsessed with Matcha! And you may be wondering, what is matcha? It is finely ground powdered ultra-premium Japanese green tea. It can be drunk hot or cold.

    Look for my interview with Eric Gower, the owner of Breakaway Matcha from Marin County in the coming weeks for more on the wonders of Matcha!

    In the meantime….

    Breakaway Matcha is offering our readers 10% off + free shipping! Just use the code THANKSFORTHEMEAL. Go to https://www.breakawaymatcha.com. Your life will never be the same!

    Breakaway Matcha sieving
    Breakaway Matcha pour
    Breakaway Matcha

     

    All photos courtesy of and copyright ©Breakaway Matcha.

     

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