Sunday, May 09, 2010

Green Tea Matcha Macarons with Coconut Wasabi


I love the colour of green tea or Matcha being one of the varieties, it’s more of a jade colour, that is of course if it isn’t coated with artificial green colour ;)
I also so lurve WASABI. Being a part of the same family as mustard and horseradish (which the Frenchies love!), Wasabi just brightens my day. I think I eat Makis only so that I can eat loads of wasabi, I have even had competitions with a dear friend that of course ended up in us being in tears, Wasabi is not a thing to be taken lightly! The wasabi complimented the dense, crunchy flavour of the coconut in great harmony elevating the tropical sharpness of the custard.
I have realised that nothing with me is routine, I go out of the way to make things different, I guess my insanity, ego and need for attention make me want to do things out of the ordinary, but isn’t ordinary boring? For me it is, if you can make something different than the rest of us, why not indulge?
Anywhos, enough of philosophy, the recipe is very simple, just follow the basic macaron recipes that I use from Duncan of Syrup and Tang, I do swear by his recipe, it has NEVER failed. The coconut ganache is so yummilicious, I am sure you could just eat it right off the bowl! Here goes:

GET
For the Shells
60 g Almond powder
15 g green tea powder (matcha)
80 g icing sugar
50 g Egg whites
40 g powdered sugar

For the Coconut Wasabi Custard
75 ml heavy milk
80 ml cream
2 egg yolks
45g sugar
2 tbsps wasabi paste
½ cup coconut powder / grated coconut

SET
* Egg Clarification: If you have the time, it is better to separate the egg whites from the yolks 48 hours before you start making macarons. The whites should be stored in a box in the refrigerator and taken out hour before you start the preparations.
* Take the almond powder, matcha powder and icing sugar, pass it through a mixer.
* Beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt (if they haven't been clarified before), and gradually add the sugar. Beat until stiff peaks are formed.
* Sift the almond flour, matcha and sugar mixture over the beaten eggs.
* Fold in the powder with a light yet firm hand. Mix in circular motions until the powder is well incorporated. Take a small portion of this mixture in a bowl and add the colours or flavourings. Then incorporate well into the main mixture.
* Mix well only until the mixture is smooth, shiny and glossy.
* Spoon batter into piping bags and pipe small (or large) circles on a baking sheet.
* Bake at 150°C for 10-11 minutes.
* Cool the sheet once out of the oven and gently release the macaron shells from the paper.
* Keep the shells inverted on a wire rack to cool down.
For making the Coconut Wasabi Custard
  • Bring milk and cream to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Let the mixture cook for 10 minutes.
  • Beat egg yolks and sugar till light and fluffy. Slowly pour the milk and cream mixture, while stirring constantly so as to avoid any lumps. You have to mix really fast as else the eggs will get cooked and you will have a whole lot of sweet scrambled eggs on your hands!
  • Heat the egg and milk mixture on a low-medium flame, stir continuously till it boils. Keep cooking and stirring till the mixture coats the back of the spoon (preferably use a wooden spoon).
  • Then add the grated coconut and cook for another 3-5 minutes on a low flame.
  • Once you have the desired consistency (which should be slightly thicker than you started off), take the pot off the flame and pass this mixture through a sieve. At the end add the wasabi paste, taste and add according to your spiciness levels!
  • To further stop the cooking process, dip the bowl containing the mixture in a bigger bowl of ice.
  • Cool in the refrigerator for several hours (1-2) till the mixture is thick and spreadable.

GO
Pair the macaron shells and sandwich them with generous portions of the superlicious coconut wasabi custard.

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for post... i will try your recipe... this is interesting recipe ... i love to try new recipes....

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  2. Wow, have never heard of wasabi macarons, but sound delish!

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  3. wow! what an interesting mixture of flavors :)

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  4. Cho Yung Tea.. Good luck with the try, let me know if you need any help! Dhana.. will make some for you soon I hope ;)
    Thanks for the compliment Zara

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