Cool, Rich & Creamy Green Tea Creams

Loving all tea and any panna cotta-like desserts, I knew as soon as I saw these lovely Green Tea Creams in Delicious Magazine, that I would have to make them. They were from a feature on cooking with teas and looked amazing. The pictures don't really do them justice--I took a few quick shots and carefully put them in a container to transport to a friend's house for dinner. They turned out creamy and delicious--sweet but not too sweet.

The magazine says, "These little creams are easy to make...and very scrumptious. I've used matcha green tea powder, which is finely ground and has the most gorgeous emerald-green color.

Green Tea Creams

Belinda Jeffery, Delicious Magazine, Volume 7 / Issue 4

(Serves 6)

600 ml (about 20 ounces) pure (thin) cream

2 tsp matcha (green tea powder)

180 g (6.35 ounces) caster sugar

pared zest of 1 lime

5 gold-strength gelatine leaves

1/2 cup (125 ml) milk

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

thick cream and shaved dark chocolate to serve

Place 2 Tbsp pure cream in a small bowl and whisk in the green powder until smooth. Pour into a large saucepan, then whisk in the sugar, lime zest and remaining cream until well combined. Gently warm over low heat, stirring for 3-5 minutes until the sugar has dissolved. Gently heat the cream for a further 2-3 minutes, without stirring, until it is just below boiling point.

Meanwhile, soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes to soften. Squeeze to remove excess water, then add the leaves to the hot cream mixture and stir for a further minute until gelatine has dissolved.

Remove from the heat and gently whisk in the milk and vanilla. Strain through a fine sieve into a jug, then divide among 6 small glasses or ceramic dishes (delicate Asian tea cups look lovely).

Transfer to the fridge and leave the creams to set for at least 3 hours. To serve, dollop each cup with thick cream and garnish with shaved chocolate.

Notes/Results: Creamy and very tasty, these were a perfect dessert. I wasn't exactly sure how best to convert sheet gelatin to powdered, but I found some sheets in the gourmet section of a local store so I didn't have to. I used heavy cream for the topping, and unable to find thin or light cream, I just used some heavy cream (2/3), mixed with half & half (1/3) and it seemed to work just fine. I served these in my Japanese tea cups and rather than topping them with shaved dark chocolate, I used some little variegated curls I had on hand. These were really delicious--especially if you love green tea as much as I do. I will make these again.


Happy Aloha Friday!