To my taste, Matcha green tea is highly addictive.... Try it once and you will never forget the taste even if the first experience leaves you doubtful whether you like it or not.... This is what happened to me: it was in Japan that I first tried Matcha flavour ice-cream. It was bitter and I expected the ice-cream to be sweet but there was something in the taste that left my senses awaken.
Then I started noticing: Matcha biscuits... Matcha chocolates... Matcha candies... even Matcha KitKat ! It looked like Japanese were obsessed with the taste, so I studied the matter in deep and tasted more...
I even researched a bit and discovered that Matcha boosts your metabolism, reduces the cholesterol level, contains loads of antioxidants and produces the same effect coffee does but that lasts longer....
So this aromatic green powder is even good for health!! WOW!!! And finally, after some browsing through the ethnic grocery shops, I found my first Matcha green tea powder.
Matcha has wonderfully bright green colour and very particular flavour. This very tea powder is generally used for the famous tea ceremony....
INGREDIENTS:
Servings: 24 chocolates
300g white chocolate
100ml thick cream
35g butter
2tbs Matcha powder +1tbs for sifting over
1. Prepare a pan for double boiling, but pour just a bit of water as you won't use it for long.
2. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and put it in a heat-resistant bowl or a small saucepan.
3. Heat the cream till it's almost boiling in the microwave or anyhow, be careful it doesn't boil.
4. Add the hot cream and butter to the chopped chocolate, stir well with a silicon / plastic spatula till the chocolate melts completely.
5. Put the bowl with the chocolate over the double boiler and stir constantly.
Note: If the chocolate starts splitting take it off the heat and put on a cool surface. Stir constantly...
6. When the chocolate is completely melted, sift 2 tbs of Matcha powder in the chocolate mix. Stir well ...
This is how the Matcha tea powder will colour the white chocolate.
7. Dress the inner side of a 10x18 cm container with the plastic film.
8. Pour the chocolate mix in the container and level it well.
9. Refrigerate the chocolate for a couple of hours.
10. Using a warm knife make neat cuts in order to have 24 square chocolates.
Note: You may leave the hot tap water running and after each and every cut warm the knife and don't forget to dry it with a paper towel (or any towel).
11. Sift 1 tbs of Matcha powder over the chocolates, turn them upside down with a use of a wide knife and sift Matcha again.
12. As all Royce' Nama chocolates are presented in a paper box, I also packed mine in a nice paper box.
ITADAKIMASU !!!
If you tried Royce' Nama Chocolate at least once, you will never forget it, even if you are not a chocolate eater like me...
It has such a smooth and creamy taste and it litterally melts in your mouth in a second, leaving you in a perfect bliss....
Nama means "fresh" or "raw" in Japanese, so this chocolate is kept in the fridge.
If in your country Royce' chocolate is not easy to find as here in Italy, forget of running around the city: you may prepare Nama chocolate at home!!!
INGREDIENTS:
Servings: 18-24 chocolates
300g dark bitter chocolate 50% cocoa min.
150ml whipping cream 35% fat min.
25g butter
2-3tbs liqueur
1. Cut the chocolate bar into small pieces with the use of a sharp knife (better a wide one).
2. Prepare a pot for double boiling, you may need it just for a couple of minutes, so don't boil a lot of water.
3. Heat the cream in the microwave or anyhow: it should be very hot but shouldn't boil.
4. Pour the cream to the bowl with the chocolate bits and stir carefully with a silicon or plastic scoop.
5. Add butter and continue stirring.
6. At this point you may need to use the double boiling for a couple of minutes to finish the chocolate melting.
Note: Stir constantly!!!
Note: Don't overheat the chocolate ganache as it may split.... Remove the bowl from double boiling if you see that the mix is getting too hot or starts splitting.
7. Stir your favourite liqueur in the chocolate ganache.
8. Prepare a small tray or even a plastic container, which inner side you will carefully dress with the plasic film. I used 10x18cm plastic container for the amount of the chocolate ganache I prepared.
Note: The size of the tray will result in the thickness of the chocolates. With the tray size I used the chocolates resulted in being 2cm thick - perfect!
7. Pour chocolate ganache into the lined tray and level it well.
8. Refrigerate the chocolate for 1.5 hour.
9. Remove the tray from the fridge and pooling the sides of the plastic film outside, remove the chocolate out of the tray.
10. Place the chocolate bar on a sheet of oven paper to avoid sticking it to the cutting board.
11. Use a warm and dry knife to cut the perfect size chocolates.
Note: You may keep the tap hot water running and heat your knife each time you cut the chocolate, you also need to dry the knife carefully every time you heat it under the hot water.
Note: I cut the chocolate bar into 18 chocolates but it's also enough to cut into 24 pieces.
12. Sift the chocolate with the cocoa powder over, turn them with the use of a wide knife and sift the cocoa powder over again.
13. If you want to coat some chocolates with the crushed nuts (almonds, walnuts,...), separate the chocolates with a paper sheet before sifting cocoa powder over.
Note: As the original Royce' Nama chocolates are sold in boxes I also used a nice box for presentation. This way the chocolates become a precious gift to your beloved or your friends....
15. Refrigerate your chocolate to store them if after the tea time you have any left....
Itadakimasu!!!
