It is Progressive Eats time and Heather, our host for the month had “tea” as the theme. I simply love matcha tea and hence keep needing reasons to use it every day other than just as tea. I was having a hard time to choose just one recipe to share today. So you know what that means, more matcha tea recipes coming your way.
So, what is matcha exactly? Matcha is a finely ground green tea. But it is not just any green tea. The noble varietals of the matcha tea are samidori, okumidori, and yabukita . And the very best matcha, is harvested always by hand and only once per year. Also about 4 to 6 weeks before harvest the tea plantations are shaded from the sun. This results in increased chrophyl and amino acids in the new tea leaves. And just those top two leaves are picked for making matcha. As soon as the leaves are picked, they go through steaming process to prevent them from being oxidized and retain natural green color. Then they are slowly ground using large stone wheels and utmost care is taken to not overheat the stones.
The resulting tea powder is unique in taste, aroma and mouth feel. Also the process to make this tea is a bit different than the regular green teas. You will use a tea bowl and whisk to mix the tea with some water. The chavan (whisk) also helps create a nice foam in the tea.
This process of frothing up matcha makes it a good candidate for making frothy creamy delicious matcha pisco – green tea cocktail. The foamed egg in the pisco sour gives it the extra creamy top that contrasts with matcha’s earthiness.
How to Make it ?
Matcha Pisco - Green Tea Cocktail
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz Pisco
- 1/4 tsp matcha tea powder
- 1 oz sugar syrup
- 1 oz lime juice
- 1 egg white
Instructions
- Mix the matcha with the pisco in a bowl and whisk until smooth.
- Pour lemon juice, simple syrup and the matcha mix into a shaker. Add the egg white and dry shake all the ingredients.
- Add ice and then shake again. Strain into the glass and let foam settle on top.
Recipe Notes
Welcome to Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a Progressive Dinner Party. Our menu this month features recipes that have one special ingredient in common – TEA! We had a lot of fun creating them, and hope you’ll enjoy trying them, too. Our event is hosted by Heather who blogs at All Roads Lead to the Kitchen. Our menu includes everything from beverages to bread, an entree to sides, and of course some desserts so we can finish on a sweet note.
If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats, a theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them ou
TEA Party (recipes featuring tea)
Drinks
- Matcha Pisco by Spice Roots
- Raspberry Iced Tea Margarita by Creative Culinary
Bread
- Earl Grey Dinner Rolls by The Redhead Baker
Main Course
- Tea Smoked Duck (Gluten Free) by The Heritage Cook
Veggies/Side Dishes
- Southern Sweet Tea Roasted Corn by Pastry Chef Online
- Vanilla Black Tea Rice Pilaf by All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
Desserts
- Chai-infused Madeleines by Mother Would Know
- Glazed Lemon Tea Scones by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Strawberry Blueberry Hibiscus Crumble by The Wimpy Vegetarian