What to do on snowy days

Dear Kit,

I woke up today to a snow drenched world. There has been some snow cover all winter, but this has been a very mild winter compared to the past few. Therefore, having 6 inches fall overnight came as a bit of a shock to me.

 It doesn't look that deep on those logs, but that would be the wind.

I trekked outside so I could get some pictures for you, since you don’t get the same kind snowfalls. I had forgotten how much of a workout it is to walk through 6” of fresh snow without a trail already broken. There is a howling wind today, which means it feels “stupid cold,” so I didn’t stay out long.

As I was contemplating what to do with a snow day, I had an epiphany: snow ice cream! I haven’t made any in several years, since I always think of it several days after the snow has fallen. Fresh snow is a must when consuming it.

You know me, and how I usually cannot leave well enough alone, so it shouldn’t surprise you that I would do a specialty snow ice cream. What did I choose?

Green tea snow ice cream with sweet soy sauce!

(it's not green because I didn't add food dye)

Yes, you read that correctly. I have had matcha ice cream before and thought it delicious, so I simply used that remembered experience as a springboard for this recipe.

Green Tea Snow Ice Cream

4 oz  milk, whatever type you have on hand

1-2 green tea tea bags, depending on size of bags and personal preference

2 T honey

½ t vanilla bean paste

3-4 c fresh snow

Heat milk in microwave til steaming. Add tea, honey, and vanilla. Stir until honey is dissolved. Let steep 4 min. Chill in fridge until completely cold. Taste and adjust sweetness. Get a bowl of snow and pour on the tea. Stir until texture is like ice cream. You need to eat this immediately. Drizzle with sweet soy sauce and enjoy!

Notes:

*You may use any type of tea for this. I used a high quality green tea, since I’m a tea snob. Just imagine a chai infusion with some caramelized pears on top!

*I recommend honey as a sweetener, since it adds a nice subtle flavor. With snow ice cream, you need to layer flavors. Since snow is water, it thins out the flavor of anything you add to it. Therefore, you should brew extra strong tea and use a more flavored sweetener.

*While you do want to brew strong tea, that doesn’t mean you should over steep your tea. The longer you steep, the more bitter flavors will be pulled out. You should brew black tea 3-4 min, green or oolong 2-4 min, and tisanes 4-6 min. The key is to brew your tea in less liquid or with extra leaves, thereby concentrating your infusion.

*You can find sweet soy sauce at Asian food markets. It is very thick, running more like honey than water. The one I have has a slight molasses flavor.

*This made enough for 2 generous servings. 

Later gator,
Linds