Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Frozen Green Tea Souffles

I’m not good at catching trends at the right time. I procrastinate, let the hype fade, and finally try the whatever-it-is when it’s not even cool anymore. For instance, I still haven’t tried a cronut. In the case of this recipe, my timing was off by decades for one trend and several years for the other. I pulled this out of my files, and it became a contender for dessert for New Year’s. I ended up making ice cream for that occasion, and this sat in a stack of recipes that I was thinking about for days and then weeks. I didn’t want to file it away again without giving it a try, so it found its way onto a menu right around Lunar New Year which was kind of appropriate. It’s made with matcha green tea, and that was such a trendy ingredient in desserts eight or nine years ago. I used to see green tea shortbread, green tea ice cream, and green tea cakes all over the place. The other no-longer-trendy ingredient in this dessert is a bit retro. Creme de menthe is used, and I want to say that’s a 70s thing. I have considered making grasshopper pie with creme de menthe but never actually did it. Yet. This recipe for Frozen Green Tea Souffles is from the May 2006 issue of Living magazine, and it’s available online. Little cups are over-filled with the airy and fluffy mixture and left to firm up in the freezer. They’re called frozen souffles, but they’re really more like frozen mousse since egg yolks are used rather than whites. Regardless of what they’re called and what time they belong to, they were delicious. 

I used small espresso cups for serving, but any little ramekin or cup will work. Keeping the serving size small is a good idea since these are more decadent than they look. Parchment paper was cut to size, wrapped around each cup, and secured with tape. Meanwhile, boiling water was added to a tablespoon of matcha tea, stirred together, and then refrigerated until cool. Next, sugar, egg yolks, and the cooled tea mixture were combined in the bowl of a stand mixer. That bowl was set over a pan of simmering water, and the contents were whisked for eight minutes. The bowl was then moved to the mixer, and the whisk attachment was used to lighten and cool the mixture. The last component is the whipped cream which was made with a tablespoon of creme de menthe. I whipped the cream in a separate bowl with a hand mixer and then folded the whipped cream into the egg yolk mixture. Although I used clear creme de menthe with no food coloring added, the dessert was still a nice shade of green from the tea. It was divided among the prepared cups, and the cups were placed in the freezer for at least four hours. The texture of the dessert improves if it’s left at room temperature for a few minutes before serving. And, it was garnished with a dusting of matcha. 

I had a slight concern heading into this that the mint flavor would overpower that of the delicate tea. Happily, I was wrong about that. There was just enough mint to know it was there, but the flavor of the tea wasn’t lost at all. It was a nice mix of the two in this light-as-air dessert. Being late to food trends isn’t so bad when the flavor stands the test of time. 


25 comments:

  1. Delightful! That is such a refreshing dessert.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  2. A lovely presentation Lisa. I never caught the tea trend but I was just reading an article that said tea is going to be a popular cooking ingredient for 2014. What goes around comes around they say. I guess it's the same with food trends. Whatever the case, your mousse/souffles look delightful! Thanks for sharing...

    P.S. Here's the link:
    Tea: Not just for sipping anymore, this natural ingredient is making its way into rubs, broths and marinades.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Trendy or not..these souffles are great! And that is most important ;)

    ReplyDelete
  4. These are so pretty and the colour is just gorgeous. I too have never had a cronut and I'm always way behind with food fashions! xx

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think matcha is actually making a comeback, so you are just in time for that! I love the idea of the tea flavor paired with mint!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lisa, I won't even confess for how long I've had matcha powder in my pantry (bought at the height of the "matcha fashion") without putting it to use. I am guilty of the exact same crime as you!

    loved this recipe, everything about it seems perfect to me, from looks to flavor... wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  7. An unique dessert! Love the earthy tones of this beautiful dessert, Lisa.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Such a lovely dessert! The pale green reminds me that spring is on the way!
    (And I am also guilty of having matcha powder in my pantry....)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Frozen souffles? Now I have seen everything :D
    This is stunning!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    ReplyDelete
  10. Aw, these are so cute! I'm another that never caught the tea trend (we drink it all the time, just don't cook with it). This looks wonderful -- totally love the color. I like this, a lot. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've never had green tea and mint together but it sounds like a delightful combination Lisa! :D

    ReplyDelete
  12. The frozen souffles look great and I especially loved the first shot.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Gorgeous in green -- that's what these are!

    ReplyDelete
  14. i've never seen anything even remotely like this, lisa! it's impressive and must be so tasty and refreshing--many claps for you. :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh mine! This looks so different and new! I would love to try it! :) ela

    ReplyDelete
  16. Dear Lisa, I am that way too. I never seem to be with the times.
    This does look good and I do love mousse.
    Blessings dear. Catherine xo

    ReplyDelete
  17. Un resultado fabuloso se ve muy goloso,abrazos.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Okay Lisa, I'm ready to reach my little spoon through the screen to take a bite of your little frozen green tea souffles. Damn those look good.
    Who needs trend? Deliciousness is deliciousness.
    xoxo
    E

    ReplyDelete
  19. Ha! It took me what 4 or 3 years before I finally made the infamous NYTimes chocolate cookies, aka jacques torres cookies.
    And I swear ever since I made them, I will not use another cc recipe ever!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow - this is a really unique dessert. I've definitely never seen frozen souffles before - they look delicious and really pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  21. What lovely little souffles, Lisa! I feel like I can taste yours just by looking at the pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Your first couple sentences made me smile, Lisa. I'm exactly like you. (And I still haven't made macarons!) The green tea craze passed me by as well.
    Loved your little lemon souffles....so I bet these are wonderful. Such a cute way to serve them, too.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Wow…lovely dessert. Well…delicious food or dessert, they will never out dated. Any time, any place, I just love it. :)

    ReplyDelete

Blogging tips