Matcha mini pizza

Matcha, the super healthy Japanese finely-milled green tea, is not only delicious but also incredibly versatile. At Lahloo Pantry it’s used in sweet and savoury dishes. This time chef Emily has added some matcha to her usual pizza dough recipe, which adds extra goodness! Top it with your favourite ingredients and serve with salad for a delicious meal.

Nice and crispy matcha base!

Ingredients (makes 9-10 pizzettes)

• 550g strong flour
• 14g dried yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 50ml olive oil
• 300ml water
• 2tsp salt
• 1tsp Lahloo matcha

Mix flour, yeast, matcha, sugar, oil and water and bring together. Cover and allow to rest for 20 mins. Add salt and beat until smooth and elastic. You can add a little water or flour as necessary. Allow to rest for an hour, then roll out the mini pizzas.

Choose your topping! This one has creme fraiche, tomato, onion, black olives and wilted spinach.

Bake at 200C until the base is golden and cooked through (typically around 10min, depending on how thin it is!).

 

All about matcha

Preparing matcha, the Japanese finely-milled green tea, might seem a bit daunting at the beginning.  A few weeks ago we put together this step-by-step guide, but now you can watch this short video where infusionist Hannah from Lahloo Pantry tells you about the origins of the ritual, why matcha is so good for you and how to achieve the perfect whisking technique. Shot at Lahloo Pantry by Raspberry and Jam!

For more info and to buy our ceremonial grade matcha visit our website!

 

 

Matcha latte cheesecake

We’ve decided that this matcha and chocolate cheesecake should be known as the matcha latte cheesecake, as it’s a sweeter, more indulgent version of the delicious drink. It’s a very satisfying cake made with simple ingredients. We’ve used some cooking matcha but also some of our ceremonial-grade matcha for a cleaner, more refined flavour (there’s an enormous difference, believe us!). Serve it with a bit of honey and a big mug of matcha latte and enjoy an afternoon of matcha happiness!

 

Ingredients

For the crust

• 100g plain flour
• 85g unsalted butter
• 2 tbs caster sugar
• 2 tbs cocoa powder

For the cheesecake batter

• 600g cream cheese
• 1 can condensed milk
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbs cooking matcha
• 2 tbs Lahloo ceremonial-grade matcha
• 50g white chocolate
• 1 tbs unsalted butter
• honey to serve (optional)

To prepare the chocolate shortcrust base, preheat oven to 180C.
Place all ingredients for the crust in a food processor until it has a sandy texture. Grease and line a baking pan, press the shortcrust base into the bottom and bake for 20-25min. Allow to cool.

To prepare the cheesecake batter, preheat oven to 160C. In a pan, melt the butter and the chopped white chocolate. Leave it to cool for a bit.

Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, and gradually add the condensed milk, beating in until smooth. Beat in the eggs one by one. Add the matcha powder, half a tsp at a time, and whisk well to avoid any lumps. Incorporate the butter and white chocolate mixture and mix well.

Bake in a bain-marie for about 50 min. Wrap the outside of the pan with tin foil to protect it. After 50 min to an hour, the cake should be set, with a slightly jiggly centre. Leave it to cool and then refrigerate.

Serve it with a bit of honey!

Here’s the original recipe by Pig Pigs Corner.

 

 

How to make the perfect matcha

This month we’ve succumbed to matcha madness and everything is bright green at Lahloo! If you haven’t tried matcha yet and you live in Bristol, pop to Lahloo Pantry at 10am, as they’ll be offering free matcha samples every morning, or keep an eye out for our matcha guerrilla across town! It’s also the best time to stock your cupboard, as we’re offering a 20% off matcha these days.

We’ve asked Holly at Lahloo Pantry for some tips to prepare the best matcha and here’s our guide!

1.  Place one heaped teaspoon of matcha  in a bowl.

2. Add a splash of boiled water cooled to 80C. This is important to avoid burning the tea and therefore to preserve all its goodness and flavour!

3. Whisk until frothy. This will be your base.

For a traditional bowl of matcha, top up with water boiled and cooled to 80C

Whisk again until frothy.

A thick layer of broth and many tiny bubbles on the surface – perfect bowl of matcha!

But if you fancy an iced matcha instead, simply add some cold water and ice to the base. Delicious!

Or add cold milk  for a creamy iced matcha latte.

Healthy matcha ice lollies

We adore iced matcha and matcha smoothies, so we knew that matcha ice lollies had to be amazing! We’ve tried two different variations and loved them both. If you prefer a creamier version, try the matcha and yogurt ice lollies. But if you’re in the mood for something fruitier, you’ll love the raspberry and matcha ones! They’re beautiful and slightly retro, and best of all, they’re completely guilt-free.

Matcha and raspberry ice lollies, 100% natural

 

Matcha and raspberry ice lollies

Place one heaped tsp of matcha in a bowl and add a splash of boiled water cooled to about 80C. Whisk until it forms a frothy paste. Top up with a bit of cold water. You can sweeten it to taste with honey or a little sugar if you like.

Blend half a punnet of raspberries adding just a little water.

Pour the matcha in the ice lolly moulds and add the blended raspberries on top. Put it in the freezer for about an hour, then take it out and add the ice lolly sticks. Put them back in and freeze overnight or for at least 5 hours. Lovely!

 

 

Beautiful, jade green ice lollies

 

Yogurt and matcha ice lollies

Place one heaped tsp of matcha in a bowl and add a splash of boiled water cooled to about 80C. Whisk until it forms a frothy paste. Add natural yogurt and sweeten it to taste with honey. Freeze for about an hour before you add the sticks. Then let it freeze for 4-5 hours. Delicious and creamy!

Learn more about Lahloo matcha here and enjoy 20% off during August!

Matcha palmiers

A light, crispy palmier with your afternoon tea is the perfect treat for when you fancy something small and sweet. For all of you, tea lovers, here’s our delicious recipe, with the added flavour and goodness of matcha green tea.

Ingredients (for 35-40 palmiers)

• 250g plain flour
• 200g unsalted butter
• 125ml milk
• 1 egg yolk
• 3/4 tsp salt
• Lahloo matcha
• vanilla sugar

Place flour and salt in a bowl. Rub in 25g butter until it forms breadcrumbs. Cut the rest of the butter into cubes and add it too. Mix the egg and milk and add them to the previous mixture. It should form a sticky dough. Refrigerate for 30 mins.

Take it out of the fridge and roll it out, using matcha instead of flour to prevent sticking. Fold one third into the middle and then the other third on top. Roll it again. Dust off any excess matcha and refrigerate for 30 mins. Repeat this twice more.

Roll the pastry into a rectangle (around 40cms x 18cms) and sprinkle it with vanilla sugar. Then, roll it from the shorter edges into the centre until it has the shape of a palmier. Refrigerate again for 30mins.

Cut the pastry into slices of 1cm approximately and sprinkle them again with vanilla sugar. Keep the slices in the fridge until you want to bake them.

Before baking, flatten your palmiers a bit with a rolling pin. Bake at 200C for around 9 minutes. Delicious!

Win a matcha kit

To celebrate our month of #MatchaMadness we’re giving away a beautiful matcha kit (including a South Korean matcha bowl, a Japanese bamboo whisk, a tin of Lahloo matcha and two green and silver “matcha madness” badges, RP £50) and two tins of Lahloo matcha (August RP £16, usually £20).

To enter the competition, you just have to answer this question: Where does Lahloo matcha come from? Send your answers to maria@lahlootea.co.uk including MATCHACOMP in the subject.

It could be yours! 

Make the perfect matcha at home!

 

Terms and conditions: 

1. This competition is only open to UK residents.

2. Not open to employees of Lahloo Tea or Lahloo Pantry.

3. Only one entry per person.

4. All entries must be received by midnight of the 31st of August 2012.

5. Winners will be randomly selected and announced on Monday the 3rd of September. Winners will be contacted via e-mail. If the prize winner fails to respond to correspondence from Lahloo Tea or to claim his/her prize within 14 days of receipt of notification, Lahloo Tea shall be entitled to select an alternative prize winner. The prize winner who has not responded won’t be entitled to a prize.

6. The prize will not be transferable to another person and it is not exchangeable for cash.

How green tea can help you focus

What do you do to relax? Some of you, no doubt, will answer “Put the kettle on and have a cup of tea”. There’s something soothing in enjoying a cup of tea. But is it just the comfort provided by an old ritual or is there something else?

Meditating produces alpha brain waves

Some people relax doing some kind of exercise. Kate, for instance, loves spinning. And although being screamed at while pedaling furiously might not be everyone’s idea of relaxation, the subsequent release of endorphines makes up for it. Another popular option is yoga (Maria can’t recommend it enough!). But repeating a chain of standing strength asanas isn’t the hardest part of it… meditating can be a real challenge too!

Research has found that meditation  (practised by humans since ancient times, through different cultures) has a positive effect in mental well-being, bringing calm, clarity, and concentration. Sounds wonderful, right? If you find yourself struggling to focus, blaming the information overload (hello, Twitter) and wishing you could just finish what you started, maybe what you need is a healthy dose of alpha brain waves! 

Our brains always have some level of electrical activity. Beta waves are predominant when we’re working on goal-oriented tasks. During meditation, our brain produces alpha waves, and this is believed to be the ideal state for learning. 

Green tea lovers have an advantage, though, as there are other ways of producing alpha waves. Amino acid L-theanine appears naturally in green tea, particularly matcha. L-theanine stimulates the production of alpha brain waves. By mimicking the positive effects of meditation, it improves your concentration and learning performance and it protects against stress, thereby supporting the immune system. The result is a state of sustained mental clarity, ideal for finishing that assignment, preparing your exams or coming up with a battery of ideas for your next creative project. So now you know -don’t reach for the coffee, drink your greens instead!

Need to finish that assignment? Reach for the matcha! 

Green Jasmine and matcha chocolate tart

Ever since Laura and Chantal made this amazing Green Jasmine chocolate tart we’ve been slightly obsessed… It’s officially chocolate month at Lahloo, so we have the perfect excuse to indulge. We’ll never stop marvelling at the perfect marriage between chocolate and Green Jasmine, and Chantal’s idea of adding matcha was a stroke of genius!

Ingredients:

• A standard sweet pastry case (cook for 25 minutes while you prepare the filling)
• 500ml double cream
• 5tbsp Lahloo Green Jasmine
• 300g 70% dark chocolate
• 200g white chocolate
• a large pinch of Lahloo Matcha

Bring the 300ml double cream to the boil, with 3tbsps Green Jasmine. Place it in a bowl, cover with cling film and set aside.

Bring the 200ml double cream to the boil, mixed with 2tbsp Green Jasmine and the matcha powder. Place it in a different bowl, cover with cling film and set aside.

Let them infuse for an hour.

In the meantime, chop the two types of chocolate and place them into two different bowls.

Bring both creams to the boil again, keeping them separate. Strain the plain one over the dark chocolate, and the one with matcha over the white chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is melted.

Pour the dark chocolate mixture over the pastry. Pour the white chocolate mixture on top and swirl until it looks pretty.

Allow to set for at least two hours somewhere cool… and enjoy!

Super food matcha and manuka latte

I’m a real matcha fan. Traditionally the Japanese enjoy matcha whisked into a frothy tea with water but first thing every morning I love it post-run blended with milk, banana and a little honey – a super smoothie!

You see, matcha, vibrant fine-milled Japanese green tea, is jam packed full of antioxidants and vitamins a,b and c. Like coffee, it contains caffeine but it works differently. Together with two amino acids it gives you a slow release energy lift whilst keeping you calm and focused. Not only that but matcha can boost metabolism, energy and mood (it makes me smile) as well as help prevent heart disease and ageing.

But this week I’ve been under the weather and craving hot drinks. So I tweaked my smoothie recipe to make it a latte recipe with an additional healthy boost of manuka honey. It’s delicious and with a certain autumnal chill in the air, it’s my new favourite super healthy start to the day.

Try it too!

Matcha Latte
Makes 1

2 tsp. matcha
3 Tbsp. hot water
250ml organic milk (soya or rice milk also works well)
1 tsp. Manuka honey

In a mug, mix the matcha and hot water until it becomes a smooth paste (this is your base)

Warm the milk (I used my espresso steamer but you could do it in a pan on the hob) and honey over low heat, making sure the milk never reaches the boil. Once heated, pour into the mug and whisk until blended.