Watermelon Iced Tea Drink Recipe

It's watermelon season again, which means that it's supposed to be really wam here in Northern California, but alas, we're experiencing another cold spell. For those of you enjoying balmier temperatures, I present my incredibly refreshing watermelon iced tea drink.

I flavored the drink with fresh mint and agave nectar; you could omit the syrup depending on the sweetness of the watermelon. In addition to being delicious, this refreshing drink has multiple health benefits thanks to the green tea. It really is the perfect summer drink!

Red Bean Pot de Creme Recipe

To me, Vietnamese desserts taste delicious. My husband Lulu, however, is not a big fan of either their taste or their aesthetics. Lulu has a serious sweet tooth, so for him, the very subtle use of sugar in Vietnamese desserts is not nearly satisfying enough. I love the flavors though, so I decided to make a French and Asian fusion dessert that would make us both smile.

After much deliberation, I decided to make red bean pots de crème. Red bean, in case you don’t know, is often found in Asian desserts. To incorporate the ingredient, I used the same technique as for making traditional pots de crème, but I also added mashed sweetened red beans. In addition, I substituted coconut milk for regular cow's milk. To make the dessert more attractive, I added a dollop of matcha-flavored whipped cream and garnished with green-colored sugar.

The visual is nice and the flavors and texture are intense and rich. Mission accomplished!

Green Tea Cake Roll Recipe

Cake rolls, as the name implies, are cakes that are spread with jelly or buttercream and then rolled into logs. The French name is roulade. For this recipe, I decided to use matcha green tea because of its very delicate flavor. It also gives the cake (called génoise in French) a beautiful jade green color. I filled and covered the cake with vanilla butter-cream and kept the flavors appropriately Zen in their simplicity.

Matcha green tea is fairly expensive and has a very short shelf life, so once the box is unsealed, consume it fast. Enjoy it as is with hot water or flavor your favorite desserts with the green tea powder. I had a little less than one tablespoon left in the tin. I think I had made pretty good use of it with desserts such as Vietnamese agar agar desserts, tea lattés, crème brulées and ice cream.

Green Tea Ice Cream Recipe

As I mentioned at the beginning of the summer, my husband Lulu decided to leave the ice cream maker on the kitchen counter to encourage us to make good use of the machine. School has started and I bet the weather is going to get cooler, so I decided to get one more use out of it before storing it away until next season.

We are huge fans of tea. Whether it's for crème brulées, cookies or making Arnold Palmers, my family just can’t get enough. I've made Earl Grey ice cream this summer and I thought it would be fun to make another ice cream out of matcha green tea.

I love combining matcha with black sesame; I think the flavors go perfectly together. So I decided to serve the scoop of ice cream with warm black sesame sauce. Aunt Danielle just introduced me to an instant black sesame product that tastes really great. I've been making my own black sesame sauce from scratch but this version saves a lot of time. The warm black sesame sauce against the cold ice cream is reminiscent of the same temperature contrast for chocolate lava cake and ice cream, which is very pleasant.

Matcha Green Tea Latte

I prepared my matcha green tea latte with the same procedure one would use for making white hot chocolate. The drink is made with a blend of lightly sweetened matcha green tea, white chocolate, steamed milk and heavy cream. You wouldn't want to drink this every day, but that's what holiday treats are all about!

This recipe can be modified to feature many different seasonal flavors. Peppermint, cinnamon and other spices come to mind. You don't have to go to the local coffee shop to enjoy holiday specials anymore; be your own barista and save the change for stocking stuffers.