Strawberry Matcha Cream Cheese Tart

It's certainly taken its own sweet time, but I think spring is *finally* here, just in time for the #strawberriesarethejam collaboration!  I mean, it might've snowed last week, and it's snowed on Mother's Day before, so I'm not ruling winter completely gone either, but I'm just happy to be finally seeing the trees outside starting to bloom!

This tart was inspired by the sakura matcha Kit Kats I saw in the Narita airport on my way home from Taiwan this month.  While I don't have access to sakura (cherry blossoms) as an ingredient, I thought these sliced strawberries would add a nice, springtime sweetness.

As a bonus, they can also be arranged into pretty flowers that remind me of sakura blossoms.  For this tart I used Dorie Greenspan's sweet tart dough with nuts, but her regular sweet tart dough would work as well.

Strawberry Matcha Cream Cheese Tart

makes 1 tart

Your favorite sweet tart crust, fully baked and cooled

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ceremonial grade matcha powder

Sliced strawberries

Chopped nuts (optional)

Use the paddle attachment in a stand up mixer or a hand mixer to combine the cream cheese, sugar, and matcha powder until smooth and creamy.  Spread into the tart shell and chill while you slice the strawberries.

Arrange the sliced strawberries on top of the cream cheese in the shape of a flower.  Add a little sprinkle of chopped nuts in the center if you like.

Previously:  My Mom's Taiwanese Zongzi

Last Year:  Rhubarb Strawberry Coconut Cream Tart

Two Years Ago:  Sesame Soba Noodles with Avocado Rose

Three Years Ago:  Gordon Ramsay's Sublime Scrambled Eggs - Two Ways

Four Years Ago:  Nutella Mini Crepe Cakes

Eight Years Ago:  Lilikoi Malasadas

Nine Years Ago:  Moffles

Check out the rest of the bloggers that participated in the #strawberriesarethejam collaboration:

Square Meal Round Table’s Roasted Balsamic Strawberry Pavlova

The Cooking of Joy’s Strawberry Matcha Cream Cheese Tart

This Healthy Table’s Strawberry Tahini Shortcake

Flours in Your Hair’s Strawberry Milk Donuts

The Wood and Spoon’s Strawberry Icebox Pie

Smart in the Kitchen’s Rustic Strawberry Galette

The Herb and Spoon’s Strawberry-Jam Filled Brioche Donuts

Better with Biscuit’s Strawberry Cobbler

My Kitchen Love’s Strawberry Rhubarb Tart

Sift and Simmer’s Rose Strawberry Hibiscus Mille Crepe Cake

What Great Grandma Ate’s No Bake Strawberry Cheesecake Bars (Paleo, Vegan)

A Modest Feast’s Greek Yogurt With Crispy Quinoa and Roasted Strawberries

Hola Jalapeno’s Strawberry Pink Peppercorn Margarita

Worthy Pause’s Strawberry-Basil Shrub Cocktail

Hot Dishing It Out’s Panna Cotta with Strawberry Jelly

Figs & Flour’s Shrimp Tacos with Strawberry Apricot Salsa

Pie Girl Bakes’ Strawberry Ginger Pie

Crumb Top Baking’s Strawberry Chia Jam Oat Bars

The Gourmandise School’s Strawberry Pistachio Salad

Tiny Kitchen Caper’s Strawberries and Cream Pound Cake

Cook Til Delicious’ Mini Chocolate Cake with Strawberry Ganache

Something New For Dinner’s Watermelon, Tomato and Strawberry Salad with Burrata

A Spicy Perspective’s Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake

Easy and Delish’s Strawberry Brigadeiros

Plays Well with Butter’s Strawberry Salad with Goat Cheese, Grilled Chicken, & Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette

Katherine in Brooklyn’s Roasted Strawberry Balsamic Ice Cream

Sugar Salt Magic’s Strawberry Mousse Tart

The Healthy Sins’ Coconut Flour Crepes Topped with Fresh Strawberries and Coconut Yogurt

Lemon Thyme and Ginger’s Strawberry Basil No Churn Ice Cream

Jessie Sheehan Bakes’ Strawberry Basil Turnovers

Bavette Meat & Provisions’ Pickled Green Strawberries

Rezel Kealoha’s Apple Cider Rose Poached Strawberries with Thyme Flowers

Made from Scratch’s Roasted Strawberry and Basil Ice Cream

Eat Cho Food’s Strawberry Basil Glazed Donuts

What’s Karen Cooking’s Strawberry Eton Mess

More Icing Than Cake’s Strawberry, Balsamic & Black Pepper Babka

Well Seasoned Studio’s Classic Vanilla Layer Cake with Mascarpone Buttercream and Fresh Strawberries

Farm & Coast Cookery’s Strawberry & Thyme Shortcake

Marianne Cooks’ Strawberry Madeleines

Clean Plate Club’s Mini Strawberry Bundt Cakes with Lemon Glaze

My Berkeley Kitchen’s Strawberry Kale Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

The Cinnaman’s Rose Hibiscus Strawberry Icebox Pie

Prickly Fresh’s Strawberry Burrata Kale Salad with Pistachio & Lemon Vinaigrette

Maren Ellingboe’s Angel Food Cake with Whipped Cream & Strawberries

Baking the Goods’ Mini Strawberry Lemon Cupcakes

Fufu’s Kitchen’s Vegan Strawberry Ice Cream Sandwiches

What Annie’s Eating’s Vegan Strawberry + Basil Ice Cream

Katie Bird Bakes’ Strawberry Crumble Bars

Cosette’s Kitchen’s Strawberry Shortcake

Blossom to Stem’s Strawberry Pavlova with Mezcal and Lime

Babby Girl Yum’s Strawberry Spinach Almond Salad

It’s a Veg World After All’s Butter Lettuce Strawberry Salad with Poppyseed Dressing

Le Petite Eats’ Strawberry Orange Blossom Tartlets

Cooking with Cocktail Ring’s Basil Balsamic Strawberry Shortcake

Ful-Filled’s Lilac Sugar Strawberry Shortcakes with Greek Yogurt Whipped Cream

The College Housewife: Mixed Berry Whiskey Crisp

Frosting and Fettuccine’s Strawberry Basil Layer Cake with Strawberry Simple Syrup

Zestful Kitchen’s Strawberry & Pine Nut Brittle Salad

Matcha Financiers with White Chocolate Centers

Here is yet another recipe from Dorie Greenspan's Baking Chez Moi (and probably not the last)!  I first discovered financiers at Eric Kayser's bakery near my hotel in Paris. They looked like perfect little miniature cakes that were basically unadorned--a distinct change from all the super-frosted and decorated cupcakes that were all the rage in America at the time.  They're just one or two bites each and less sweet than a cupcake, more substantial than a muffin.  Perfect for packing and eating on the go without having to worry about getting a crazy sugar rush.

Since I'm currently in love with the matcha/white chocolate flavor combination, I was excited when I saw Dorie's "bonne idée" for her matcha financier recipe:  baking chunks of white chocolate in the center of each financier.  I used 2 white chocolate chips per financier, but I think I would at least add a third if not more next time since it just wasn't enough (for me, anyway).  I also increased the amount of matcha slightly since I could barely taste the matcha in the first batch I made.

Matcha Financiers with White Chocolate Centers (slightly adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking Chez Moi)
makes 12 small cakes

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon matcha green tea
Pinch of fine sea salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup almond flour
3 large egg whites, at room temperature, lightly beaten
White chocolate chips

Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until it starts to boil, then boil for 1 minute; it may color ever so slightly, but you don’t want it to brown. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside (you want the butter to be warm when you add it).

Whisk the all-purpose flour, matcha, and salt together in a small bowl.

Using a flexible spatula, stir the sugar and almond flour together in a large bowl. Gradually add the egg whites, stirring to moisten the dry ingredients.

When all the whites are in, give the mix a few vigorous stirs. Stir in the all-purpose flour mixture, mixing only until it’s evenly blended, then start adding the melted butter, a little at a time, folding and stirring the batter until all the butter is in.

Press a piece of plastic film against the surface of the batter and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (The batter can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter the wells of a mini muffin tin, dust with flour and tap out the excess.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling them about halfway.  Drop 2-4 white chocolate chips into each, then spoon on additional batter, almost to the top of the well.

Bake the financiers for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they have crowned and feel springy to the touch.  Remove from the oven, wait 1 minute, then tap them against the counter to encourage the financiers to tumble out. Pry any stragglers from their molds with a table knife. Transfer the financiers to a rack and let cool until they are just warm or at room temperature.

By the way, don't throw out the 3 egg yolks after separating them from the 3 egg whites needed for this recipe!  You can use them to make really good pasta dough!

Next:  A Better Homemade Pasta
Previously:  Hugo & Victor's Pink Grapefruit Tart
Last Year:  Hotter Crash Potatoes
Five Years Ago:  Faux Momofuku Brussels Sprouts
Six Years Ago:  Wok-Fried Edamame with Garlic

Matcha White Hot Chocolate

There are some flavors that just seem destined to be paired together.  Salt and pepper.  Ginger and scallion.  Chocolate and peanut butter.  To that exalted list of flavor pairings, I 'd like to nominate matcha green tea and white chocolate.

I was craving something warm, sweet, and comforting, and for some reason my mind came up with matcha and hot chocolate.  But not regular hot chocolate, a white hot chocolate.  A quick google showed me I wasn't the first one with this idea.  I followed Love & Lemons' recipe which was super simple:  melt some white chocolate chips in some milk, whisk some matcha green tea powder in some hot water, combine the two, and voila!  Matcha white hot chocolate!

I love how the two flavors interact with each other.  By itself, matcha can be bitter and unpleasant while white chocolate can be too sickly sweet.  But paired up, they temper each other's extremes to give you a creamy, herbaceous concoction.  For the milk, I used vanilla soy milk, which adds just a hint of sweetness.  If you're looking for a thick, decadent hot chocolate, this is not the right recipe.  But if you're looking for a perfectly balanced, subtly flavored hot chocolate that you can drink without feeling too guilty, it doesn't get any better than this.

Matcha White Hot Chocolate (adapted from Love & Lemons)
makes 1 cup

3 tablespoons white chocolate chips
3/4 cups vanilla soy milk
1 teaspoon matcha green tea powder
1/2 cup hot water

Melt the white chocolate chips in 1/4 cup of the soy milk by microwaving on high for 30 seconds.  Stir until combined.  Heat the rest of the soy milk and mix together.

Whisk the match into the hot water.  Combine with the soy milk mixture and serve.

Next:  Heart-Shaped Tamgaoyaki
Previously:  Burmese Coconut Noodles with Tofu
Two Years Ago:  Passion Fruit Marshmallows
Five Years Ago:  Nutella Ice Cream
Six Years Ago:  Tomato and Eggs over Rice

Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream with Matcha Mochi Bits

Since I had some extra matcha powder and glutinous rice flour from making the matcha mochi cupcakes, I decided to try making matcha green tea ice cream with matcha mochi bits.  I was still traumatized by the time I tried to make mochi wrapped ice cream so I decided to just cut up the mochi and swirl it into the ice cream this time.  Of course, I (once again) underestimated the stickiness of fresh cooked mochi and ended up stretching and hacking it into bits instead of properly cutting it.  If there's anything I learned from this process it's that you can never use enough cornstarch!

For the ice cream I adapted the ice cream base from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home by adding matcha powder.

After making a batch of the matcha green tea ice cream, I noticed that the matcha powder wasn't really dissolving into the ice cream base and was clumping up instead.  I thought it would go away in the churning process but you can still see bits of matcha powder in the picture above.  Compare that with the picture below of the second batch I made.  Can you guess what simple ingredient made the matcha powder dissolve more easily?

Alcohol!  Or in this particular case, vodka.  I think it has something to do with it being more non-polar than water (yay masters degree in chemistry from an Ivy League school!).  By mixing the matcha powder in some vodka first and then mixing it with the rest of the ice cream base you get a nice, smooth result.

Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream with Matcha Mochi Bits
makes about 1 quart

For the matcha mochi bits: (adapted from Come On, Ilene!)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup water, divided
1/2 cup glutinous rice flour
1 teaspoon matcha powder
Cornstarch

Prepare a baking sheet by covering it with wax paper or a Silpat and coating it generously with cornstarch. 

Dissolve the sugar into 3/4 cup of water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat to make a simple syrup.

In a medium microwaveable mixing bowl, mix the remaining 1/4 cup water with the glutinous rice flour and matcha powder until smooth.

Cover the bowl and microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Remove the bowl from the microwave (be careful, it will be very hot!) and stir again.

Pour in the simple syrup and keep stirring.

At first it will look kind of gross and lumpy but eventually it was all even out and you'll get a nice, thick goo.

Pour the mochi batter onto the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle more cornstarch on top.  Let the mochi cool.  You can put the sheet in the fridge or freezer to hurry this process along.

Once the mochi is firm, distribute the top layer of cornstarch evenly with your fingers to coat any shiny areas. Flip it over on a cutting board and make sure the back side is evenly coated as well.

When the mochi is completely cool, cut into small bits and pieces and continue to coat with extra cornstarch while cutting to avoid letting the pieces stick together.

Freeze the mochi bits until the ice cream is ready to pack.

For the matcha green tea ice cream: (adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home)
2 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) cream cheese, softened
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon matcha green tea powder
1 tablespoon vodka
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup

Mix about 2 tablespoons of the milk with the cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry. Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth.  Fill a large bowl with ice and water.

Mix the matcha powder with the vodka and stir until smooth.

Combine the remaining milk, the cream, sugar, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry.

Bring the mixture back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

Remove from heat and add some of the hot ice cream base to the matcha vodka mixture.  Stir until smooth and then add back to the rest of the ice cream base.

Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary, until cold, about 30 minutes.

Pour the ice cream base into the frozen canister and spin until thick and creamy.

Pack the ice cream into a storage container, adding the matcha mochi bits in between layers of ice cream.  Press a sheet of parchment directly against the surface and seal with an airtight lid.  Freeze in the coldest part of your freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.

Just like with mochi-wrapped ice cream, the mochi bits stay nice and pillowy soft even after frozen.  It makes an interesting contrast to the usual hard and crunchy mix-ins for ice creams.  And the amount of vodka used to dissolve the matcha powder was so minimal I can't even taste it in the ice cream.

Next:  Almond Pesto Pizza
Previously:  Matcha Mochi Cupcakes

Matcha Mochi Cupcakes

The dessert for Japan Night needed to be easy to make in bulk quantities, preferably okay with being made ahead of time, easy to serve, and Japanese-inspired.  Red bean or black sesame ice cream would've been great on such a hot day, but my little ice cream maker wouldn't have been able to handle the load and having to scoop out enough ice cream for almost a hundred people would've been way too time consuming.

Then I remembered Jen's matcha mochi cupcakes which fit the bill exactly!  The ingredients, except for the matcha, are basically the same as my recipe for mochi cake, but the proportions are a little different.  There's less liquid, which I think worked better for the cupcake form.  Compared to the mochi cake, the cupcakes have a lot more surface area to get all nice and crusty while still retaining a ridiculously moist and chewy interior.  I do prefer a little less sugar than called for in this recipe, but everyone at the event loved the cupcakes, so that's just a very personal preference.

Matcha Mochi Cupcakes (from Tiny Urban Kitchen)

makes about 26 cupcakes or 56 mini-cupcakes

1 lb. glutinous rice flour

2 tablespoons matcha powder

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 cups milk

2 cups sugar

3 eggs, beaten

Combine all ingredients and mix until well combined. 

Brush the inside of each muffin "well" generously with vegetable oil. 

Fill the muffin tins almost to the top.  The cupcakes will rise in the oven but shrink a lot as they cool.

Bake at 350°F for around 30-35 minutes. Please note that ovens may vary and you should start checking before the actual listed time is up. Test by inserting a toothpick or sharp metal object (e.g., a knife) into a muffin. If it comes out cleanly, it is done. 

The muffins are easier to remove if you let them cool first. However, if you've oiled the pan well enough, they should just slide out.

Enjoy warm or at room temperature.

Next:  Matcha Green Tea Ice Cream with Matcha Mochi Bits
Previously:  S'mores Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches