I've learned that there is a tremendous value in revisiting components in my repertoire. With accumulated knowledge, or simply a fresh palate and evolving perspective, I find there are always improvements that can be made.
In need of a green tea biscuit last year, I ended up incorporating some matcha powder into a fairly standard ladyfinger base, figuring it was durable, and a spongy enough vehicle to soak up an infused syrup. Lately I've been second-guessing it. Although it makes up just a tiny block on the plate, serving as a pedestal for a scoop of green tea ice cream, it's been the weakest link and therefore needed attention.
Shelly was charged with finding an alternative, and nailed it right out of the gate, taking my suggestion to look first at Balaguer's biscuit method that incorporates white chocolate. I've done a few variations of it over the years, and it's genius; the cocoa butter adds a moistness and texture that makes it ideal as a clean structural element in plated desserts (though it is too dense, especially when cold, to use in an entremet).
Download: Green Tea Biscuit-Workbook 22.1.09
Download: Green Tea Ice Cream-Workbook 22.1.09
Download: Yuzu 'Meringue'-Workbook 22.1.09
Download: Yuzu Parfait-Workbook 22.1.09
It's funny how a simple refinement can breath new life and excitement into a dish that had begun to feel a little stale...
Chef,
Which ice cream stabilizer are you using? Something from National Starch (which?)?
Posted by: sygyzy | January 23, 2009 at 06:41 PM
Sygyzy,
For years I've used the Cremodan blends for both ice cream and sorbet, '30' and '64' respectively. As I've written elsewhere, as pastry chefs have begun to learn more about these ingredients in general (sourcing them is easier as well), there is increasing interest in tailoring the stabilizer/emulsifier to suit their own taste. While the use of a stabilizer can be inportant, it's always wise to use them sparingly, generally .02-.04% of the total mix.
Posted by: Michael Laiskonis | January 24, 2009 at 12:28 PM
Chef,
What brand of matcha powder do you use and where do you buy it from? I have been researching different qualities of matcha and really want to know which one gives such a bright green color after baking.
Thank you for the inspiration!
Christina
Posted by: Christina | January 28, 2009 at 02:27 PM
Christina,
I've tried many matcha powders myself, and have recently settled on what we get from one of our local pastry purveyors, Paris Gourmet. It's produced by a company called Maeda-En. We could probably bring in a more expensive and exclusive product, but this one works well for us!
Posted by: Michael Laiskonis | January 28, 2009 at 03:32 PM
Chef,
Thank you for your help especially with the ratios. I have some stabilizers from National Starch but am always not certain which to use.
Christina,
I am not an expert like Chef Laiskonis but I do know my teas. Matcha, especially good quality ceremonial tea, can be quite expensive. If used in cooking, it's a tradeoff. You probably want to find a middle ground.
Posted by: sygyzy | January 28, 2009 at 06:11 PM
Sygyzy,
It's really important to know exactly what's in those stabilizers in order to use them to their best effect. Blended stabilizers will often include 5 or 6 different ingredients that are meant to synergize in a particular way. It's also important to know that sorbet stabilizers are really just addressing water and solids, whereas for ice cream, the stabilizers are also dealing with the fat.
Posted by: Michael Laiskonis | January 28, 2009 at 06:19 PM
Great info....thanks so much!
Posted by: beanie | July 07, 2009 at 06:46 PM