Matcha martini

For ➊ drink
1 tbs matcha green tea sugar mix*
2 tbs water
2 shots vodka
ice

Dissolve 1 tbs of matcha/sugar mix into 2 tbs of water.

Pour into a shaker full of ice, add 2 shots of vodka.

Shake.

If it's too strong, top up with a little sparkling water.

*With pure matcha, use ½ ts of powder and 1 to 4 ts of cane sugar.
When matcha is not available, use ½ ts finely ground green tea from about 2 green tea bags.

Matcha ryokucha aisukurimu (matcha green tea ice cream)

For ➍-➏
20 cl milk
2 egg yolks (room temperature)
5 tbs sugar*
20 cl heavy cream, whipped
1 tbs matcha green tea powder*
3 tbs hot water

Mix hot water and green tea powder together in a bowl. Set aside.

Lightly whisk egg yolks in a pan. Add sugar in the pan and mix well. Gradually add milk in the pan and mix well. Put the pan on low heat and heat the mixture, stirring constantly.

When the mixture is thickened, remove the pan from the heat. Soak the bottom of the pan in ice water and cool the mixture. Add green tea in the egg mixture and mix well, cooling in ice water.

Add whipped heavy cream in the mixture and stir gently. Pour the mixture in an ice cream maker and freeze.

Or, pour the mixture in a container and freeze, stirring the ice cream a few times.

*When using a sweet green tea mix, lessen the sugar. When matcha is not available, make 1 tbs/3 ts finely ground green tea from about 6 green tea bags.

Grapefruit with green tea sauce

For ➍
2 pink grapefruits
2 white grapefruits
2 ts sugar
1 tbs green tea*
6 cl boiling water
1½ tbs sugar
1 ts cold water

Peel the grapefruits and cut out the sections. Put in a bowl. Add 2 ts of sugar.
Fill 4 ramekins with a mix of pink and white grapefruit sections, leaving some room to the top. Cover with plastic wrap and some weight to remove juices. Let rest for 60 m at room temperature.Make the sauce by pouring hot water over the tea leaves and let it stand for 5 m. Remove the leaves. Stir 1,5 ts of sugar in. Move to heat. Add 1 ts of water and bring to the boil. Let the sauce thicken a bit.
Pour off any liquid out of the ramekins. Invert onto a dessert plate and surround with tea sauce.
Serve with a few plain langues de chat biscuits or any dry thin-leaved cookies, s.a. cigar cookies.

*U some flowery tea, like hibiscus instead.

While not Japanese in origin, it would finish a Japanese-like dinner in style. (Such as the zen risotto.)

Ochazuke (green tea & rice with salmon)

For ➍
4 boneless skinless salmon fillets (100 g each)*
¼ sheet nori
100 g cooked rice*
2 ts hot green tea
4 ts soy sauce
1 ts wasabi**

Cover salmon with a thick layer of salt. Set aside for 30 m. Rinse off salt.

Grill salmon for approximately 5 m. When done, reserve a square of fish* and flake the rest with a fork.

Cut nori into 1 cm strips.

Boil 35 cl of water. Add tea and let steep for 1 to 3 m.

Heat rice in microwave oven. Divide rice into 4 bowls. Place ¼ of salmon in each bowl, square on top*. Drizzle 1 ts of soy sauce in each bowl, along with ¼ ts of wasabi**. Garnish with nori strips. Pour over some green tea***.

*Use 150 g for 4 as snack. Use sautéed shiitake and enoki, or grilled tofu, to make a vegetarian version.
**Optional.
***Depending on taste, you can choose between moist and wet (the traditional way). To have a more western dish, add the salmon and nori at the end to keep them dry.
Another way would be simmering the rice in the tea to achieve a risotto-like consistency.

Ochazuke is a traditional Japanese dish, referring to Chinese wisdom that green tea is not a drink but food. The recipe can vary from snack to substantial dish, with different toppings over the rice.
Green tea is the least processed of teas. It provides the most antioxidants and has been drunk for centuries in Asia, where it originated in China. In Japan, the several varieties, differing highly in price and quality, have been used as the main tea. Matcha, powdered tea, is a fine ground tea made from the tencha variety. It is used primarily in the tea ceremony, but has become popular as flavour for ice cream and other sweets in Japan. It can be added to other foods, and is considered a food itself, not a beverage.

Green tea cake

For ➏
175 g soft butter
125 g sugar
3 eggs
250 g flour with yeast
100 g ground almonds
5 cl milk
2 ts matcha green tea powder

Preheat oven to 180°C. In a salad bowl, mix soft butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix. Add the flour and mix. Add the almond powder and mix. Heat milk without boiling, infuse the green tea for 3 m. Add this mixture to the paste and mix. Pour in a cake mould, smooth surface and put in oven. Bake for 15 m at 180°C. Bake for 40 m at 160°C.