Marbled Hōjicha Ice Cream with Soy Sauce Salted Caramel

Before even launching Tokusen, my goal was to develop a partnership with Reina-san, the founder of  Ō Japanese Tea. This young multilingual Japanese woman comes from the Sakao family who has been producing tea for three generations and practices the Japanese way of tea with me.

Although matcha ice cream has gained tremendous popularity in recent years, I offer something different and equally delicious made from a Japanese tea: our marbled hōjicha ice cream and soy sauce caramel recipe. While it will remind you of matcha ice cream, it has a bolder taste with a rich, smoky flavor, as hōjicha is a Japanese green tea roasted at very high temperatures similar to coffee.

This ice cream is delicious on its own, to accompany chocolaty desserts and is perfect for your afogatos.

INGREDIENTS – Tamari Soy Sauce Salted Caramel

INGREDIENTS – Hōjicha Ice Cream

PREPARATION – Tamari Soy Sauce Salted Caramel

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, using a thermometer, heat the sugar until it reaches 175 ° Celsius, stirring constantly.
2. Once the temperature has been reached, gradually add the butter cut into cubes, taking care to mix quickly to avoid the liquid from bubbling up. It will take 1 to 2 minutes for the butter to be fully incorporated.
3. Gently drizzle the cream into the caramel while whisking. Continue doing so until the mixture is uniform.
4. Add the soy sauce, mix well, and remove from heat.
5. Let cool.

PREPARATION – Hōjicha Ice Cream

1. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the sugar. The mixture should be whisked until it is creamy, and its colour starts turning white.
2. Prepare a small saucepan with a little water to use it as a double boiler. Heat until the water simmers.
3. At the same time, in another saucepan, combine the cream, milk and hōjicha powder and mix.
4. Heat the mixture to 85°Celsius, taking care not to exceed this temperature. Above this temperature, the eggs and milk may curdle.
5. Place the bowl containing the eggs and sugar on the double boiler and stir in the mixture of milk and cream.
6. Stir the preparation constantly to prevent the eggs from overcooking and forming lumps. If the mixture thickens too quickly, reduce the heat, and continue to mix. Heat until the preparation thickens to a silky, spoon-sticky consistency.
7. If you use an ice cream maker, place the mixture in the ice cream maker and follow the freezing instructions. Once completed, freeze the ice cream 4-6 hours before consuming it.
8. If you do not use an ice cream maker, place the ice cream mixture in the freezer for 4-6 hours, taking care to mix it lightly every 30 minutes to ensure a silky texture.

When the ice cream is ready, add the soy sauce salted caramel and mix to obtain a marbled ice cream.