De Baking Psychopath

It seems a bit late to say happy new year on January 9, but better late than never! So here's my toast to 2011, may it be a happy and prosperous year for everyone. In the spirit of cutting back on indulgences after holiday-binging, here are these *healthy* green tea (matcha) and crystallized ginger biscotti. Green tea and ginger have been eaten for millennia for their health-promoting and medicinal qualities, and I substituted out all the sugar for Splenda as well as half of the flour for whole-wheat pastry flour. Add some sliced almonds for protein, and you've got yourself a lower-carb tasty treat to go with your afternoon tea or coffee! Matcha and Ginger Light Biscotti (adapted from Leite's Culinaria ) Ingredients : 2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used half AP, half whole wheat pastry flour) 1 cup granulated sugar (I used all Splenda) 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 tablespoons matcha 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 large eggs 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted 1 tea...

Sorry for the absence of posts lately. I have lately gone through the rigors of what is called the "Comprehensive Examination," which to those of you who may not be familiar with it, suffice it to say that it is the mid-way point of Hell for a graduate student. There are many variations upon Hell that can be inflicted upon the unsuspecting graduate student, but mine came in the form of independently (no help from my advisor) writing a proposal on a project and then defending that project in front of a committee of SIX professors over the course of 2 hours. One of the ways I attempted to ease the pain of the gauntlet run I was about to embark upon was to prepare token offerings in the form of muffins and the Green Tea Mochi Cake for my judges. I made Raisin Bran Muffins and Blueberry Pecan Muffins, both from the book Once Upon a Tart... , brought fresh brewed coffee from my special stash of Casi Cielo (it's a seasonal special roast from Starbucks, a Guatemala Antigua be...

That mochi cake was such a hit last time that I knew I had to try it with the quintessential Asian dessert pairing: matcha (green tea powder) and azuki (sweetened red bean). The recipe is exactly the same as before , except I used 2 tablespoons of matcha and one 7-something ounce can of sweetened but whole azuki (you can find it in the canned sweet things in your Asian grocery...don't get the red bean paste, but the whole beans) in place of the blueberries. Oh, also, this time I used the mochiko from Koda Farms rather than the other brand I used the first time...and it made a big difference in the thickening properties of the batter. So use the Koda Farms mochiko if you can! The results? DELICIOUS. Soft, moist spongy, chewy, crunchy top, fragrant with tea, awesome with tea or coffee....addictive.