In japan tea is a cornerstone of cooking, culture and ritual. Now, matcha, a staple of Japan’s tea tradition, has gone international. This powdered version of green tea has been embraced by chefs around the world as a way to add intriguing flavor to all kinds of dishes along with the potent antioxidant properties of brewed tea. Japan meets France in a surprising variety of matcha infused macaroons, madeleines and more inspired by classic French cooking. Grab yourself some quality green tea, try these and enjoy!
Matcha Cannele
From French Girl Cuisine comes this simple matcha infused cannele that anyone can make at home.
- 1 vanilla pod
- ½ l. of milk
- 50 gr. of butter + 20 gr. of melted butter
- 220 gr. of sugar
- 120 gr. of flour
- 2 eggs + 2 egg yolks
- 3 heaping teaspoons of our green matcha tea
Instructions
Bring milk to a boil together with seeded vanilla pod. Melt butter in this mix and reserve.
Mix sugar, flour and eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add warm milk little by little. You will get a dough looking a bit like a pancake dough. Add green matcha tea and refrigerate at least one hour and up to 12 hours.
Preheat oven to 250°C. Butter molds with the melted butter using a kitchen brush. Fill molds no more than ¾ because your canneles will rise. Bake for 10 minutes. Low temperature to 180°C and bake for another 50 minutes.
Matcha Infused Madeleines
Just One Cookbook offers a recipe for traditional madeleines with a hint of matcha for a delicate green color. You’ll need:
- 4 oz/1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter, plus 1 tbsp for coating the pans
- ⅔ cup (133 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour, plus 1 Tbsp. for dusting the pans (See Note 1)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1 Tbsp. of our fantastic matcha tea powder
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 Tbsp. milk (whole or 2% fat), room temperature
- 1 tbsp. confectioner’s (powder) sugar, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
Melt the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Be careful not to burn the butter. Once melted completely, transfer to a small bowl and let it cool.
In a large bowl, add ⅔ cup sugar. Then sift 1 cup all-purpose flour, a pinch of salt, 1 tsp. baking powder, and 1 Tbsp. matcha. Whisk all together to combine.
In a medium bowl, combine 2 eggs and 1 Tbsp. milk. Whisk together till frothy.
Add the egg mixture into the flour mixture. Using a rubber spatula, stir until just combined.
Slowly add half of the cooled melted butter. Make sure to blend the butter and mixture well before you add more butter. Mix until just blended and do not over mix Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate to rest the batter for 3 hours, or if you have the time, overnight (highly recommended).
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) Melt the 1 Tbsp. butter in microwave. Using a pastry brush, brush butter in the molds of two 12 full-size shell-shaped madeleine pans. Then using a fine mesh strainer, lightly dust 1 Tbsp. flour over the molds.
Remove the batter from the refrigerator and fill each mold in the madeleine pan with 1 Tbsp. of the batter. I scoop the butter with a 1-Tbsp. measuring spoon and transfer the batter into each mold with a mini rubber spatula. No need to smooth out the batter in the mold as it’ll melt in the oven. Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 11-13 minutes, or until the madeleines’ edges looks done and the tops spring back when touched.
Remove the pan from the oven and let cool for 3 minutes. Using a fork, gently release the madeleines from the molds and transfer them onto a cooling rack. The madeleines are ready to serve when they are slightly warm or at room temperature. Dust the tops with confectioner’s sugar if desired. If you are storing/freezing the madeleines, do not dust with sugar until you are ready to serve.
Matcha Macaroons With Chocolate Ganache
The international cooking site Cookpad features an easy matcha infused macaroon recipe with matcha chocolate ganache. Grab the following and get to chocolating!
- 88 grams almond flour
- 165 grams powdered sugar
- 8 grams matcha
- 88 grams frozen egg whites
- 27 1/2 grams granulated sugar
For the Ganache:
- 10 grams fresh cream
- 30 grams white chocolate
- 10 grams matcha
Instructions
For the dough:
Let the egg whites defrost naturally until they are liquid again. Sift all the [＊] ingredients together twice.
Take the egg whites and the granulated sugar and make the meringue. Add in the granulated sugar into two steps. Whip it until stiff peaks form.
Now take what you sifted together in step one and divide it into two portions. Mix each portion one by one into the middle of the meringue with a rubber spatula.
Mix the dough and press down with the rubber spatula and macaronage the dough (scoop up from around the sides of the bowl, plop dough down on top in the center, and gently “rub” your dough into the bowl. Repeat). Once the dough starts to become shiny, and it falls from the spatula in ribbons, it’s ready.
Preheat your oven to 140℃ and pour the dough into a plastic bag that you have cut a small hole in. Squeeze out the dough into 2.5 cm pieces on top of parchment paper.
Let the dough sit out to dry for 1 hour at room temperature. (Let it sit out till it no longer sticks to your finger when you touch it.
With more health boosting ingredients than brewed tea, matcha has taken the world by storm, adding new flavor twists to the rich sweetness of classic French desserts.
Now that you have these Japanese-inspired French delights, try them out and wow your guests!
Do you like more recipes like this? Let us know in the comment section below.
