Green Tea Pudding

Sometimes I try recipes for pleasure, and sometimes I try recipes for research. When I look at a recipe I usually think one of three things:

1. This looks delicious and I want to eat it.
2. I've never made this before.
3. This is a pretty photo and I want to make a pretty dessert.

I chose the green tea puddings from The Sweet Spot because I like green tea, I rarely make pudding, and I have a pile of gelatin sheets in the cupboard.

The puddings came out much greener than the ones pictured in the book. Food photography can be decieving; sometimes the dessert is executed differently in the photo than in the recipe. I often see visible change-ups in baking pans, cutting techniques, or ingredients.

This pudding recipe doesn't overdo the gelatin; the texture was very nice. The green tea flavor is very strong, so I don't recommend it if you aren't passionate about matcha. Do try and serve the puddings with a large dollop of whipped cream and fresh fruit. They are lighter than most panna cottas and extra richness, texture, and flavor makes them much more interesting.

I'd consider making the chocolate or raspberry pudding variations. While this dessert isn't my favorite (generally I hate anything with noticeable gelatin use), it's very elegant and easy to make. It'd be a good, light party dessert.

Green Tea Pudding
adapted from The Sweet Spot by Pichet Ong and Genevieve Ko

1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 gelatin sheets, soaked in cold water until softened and drained, or 1.5 tsp powdered gelatin, softened in 2 tbsp cold water
2 tbsp matcha powder
1 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup diced mango for garnish
whipped cream, optional

Put the milk, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until bubbles begin to form around the edges. Add the gelatin and stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat and let the mixture sit until it cools to room temperature.

Whisk the green tea powder and lemon juice into the gelatin mixture and continue whisking until the green tea powder dissolves completely (a hand blender makes this easier.) Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. Divide among eight small serving bowls or cups and refrigerate, uncovered, until set, about 3 hours.

Garnish with fresh fruit and whipped cream.