Matcha Vanilla Custard

1. In a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk egg yolks, 2 tbsp honey, arrowroot, matcha, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a medium saucepan on medium, heat cream, remaining 1/4 cup honey and salt. Stir occasionally with a rubber spatula, scraping bottom of pan, until liquid just starts to simmer. Turn off heat.

2. Very slowly, drizzle hot cream mixture into matcha mixture, whisking continuously. Transfer matcha mixture back to saucepan. Turn heat to medium. Cook, whisking continuously until liquid has thickened, approximately 1 to 2 minutes (it’s fine if the mixture bubbles slightly). Remove from heat; whisk in butter and vanilla. 

3. Divide custard among 6 small bowls or ramekins. Garnish with chocolate, walnuts and pomegranate seeds (if using). Serve chilled.

More Uses: Matcha works well with creamy or bright accents, like pineapple, ginger and lemon; try puréeing matcha powder with coconut milk, ginger and honey and freezing in popsicle molds for a grown-up frozen treat. Or make mint matcha chocolate: Melt dark chocolate chips in a double boiler, stir in matcha and a few drops of mint extract, pour into candy molds and chill until firm. For a high-protein, raw-food treat, combine pistachios, cashews, dates, coconut flakes, hemp or brown rice protein powder and matcha, then process into a paste, form into balls and dredge in additional matcha powder.

Health Tip: Because it’s made from the whole leaf, matcha contains more antioxidants than loose-leaf green tea. The most potent cancer-fighting compounds in green tea are a group of phenolic antioxidants that include epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). In studies, matcha in particular significantly reduced the risk of bladder cancer. Green tea also shows promise for protecting against breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, adult leukemia, and liver cancer.