Subtly sweet and perfectly balanced, this pear matcha latte is one of the only drinks that could convince me to drink something iced in the winter. This matcha uses my pear butter recipe which is a time consuming but straight forward process. It’s subtly spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom which adds warmth to the spread but doesn’t overwhelm the pear flavor. Using pear butter rather than an infused syrup makes for a drink where you can actually taste the pear without overdoing it on the sweetness.
I’m lucky enough to live within walking distance to the viral Nitro Bar and watching them pipe their pillowy clouds of whip on top of their drinks is nothing short of hypnotizing. Caught in a trance by the barista piping these clouds onto a seemingly endless row of lattes, it hit me that what this matcha recipe was missing was a cloud. In pursuit of turning this drink into a cloud without overdoing it on the sweetness, I lightly sweetened the mascarpone whip with maple syrup. This matcha is the fluffiest, creamiest, dreamiest treat you could wish for.
Ingredients
- Mascarpone Whip
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup mascarpone
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- Pinch of sea salt
- 2-3g ceremonial grade matcha powder
- 40g pear butter
- 130g milk of choice
Preparation
- To prepare the whip, combine all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl and whip to stiff peaks.
- Place your chasen (bamboo matcha whisk) into a cup filled with warm water and allow to soak for at least 30 seconds.
- Sift the matcha into a chawan (matcha bowl) and add 50g of hot water, no hotter than 175° F. Whisk the matcha with the soaked chasen in a “W” motion until frothy. Set aside while you prepare other ingredients.
- Add the pear butter into the bottom of your glass. Fill the glass with ice, add the milk, and pour the prepared matcha on top. Fill the remaining space in the glass with your whip and enjoy!
Notes
- While the assembly described in the recipe produces a beautiful drink, feel free to shake the pear butter, matcha, and milk together in a cocktail shaker and pour over ice for a more practical drinking experience.
- The amount of matcha powder you use will depend on your preference and the matcha you’re using. The matcha I used when developing this recipe was fairly weak, so I typically used 3g. If you’re unsure, start with 2g, you can always add more later.
- If living in New England has taught me one thing, it’s that every season is iced drink season. If you’re like me and aren’t quite as well adapted to the cold, mixing the pear butter into the matcha, steaming milk, and eliminating the whip makes for a great hot matcha latte.
