Green Tea 'Matcha' Ice Cream

I had some leftover green tea powder and was thinking of ways to use it up when I thought how an ice cream would taste like with green tea.  It has a unique taste to it unlike other regulars which we always have. I just added a hint of vodka to keep the ice cream smooth and some chopped pecan for bite which is totally optional.

Source: The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

Ingredients

1 cup whole milk
¾ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 cups heavy cream
4 tsp. matcha (green tea powder)
5 eggs

Method

Combine the milk, sugar and salt in a medium saucepan.  Heat over medium heat until warmed through.  Meanwhile pour the heavy cream into a large bowl and whisk in the matcha.  Set a fine mesh sieve over the bowl.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth.  Whisking constantly, slowly pour the warmed milk mixture into the bowl with the egg yolks.  Return the entire mixture to the saucepan and continue to cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, until the mixture thickens slightly, you can check this by making a line at the back of the spoon and if the lines remain separated then its done.   Immediately remove from the heat and pour the mixture through the mesh strainer into the bowl with the cream mixture.  Whisk the mixture vigorously to dissolve the green tea powder.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator.

Once the mixture is thoroughly chilled, transfer it to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.