Matcha and the koshian bring umami to a macaron, the ultimate sweet and savory treat. Macarons, with their typical fillings of buttercream, jams, or ganaches, bring up images of sweet flavors. So, what are the savory flavors in this macaron and what is umami?
Matcha & Koshian
tastes so savory
deliciousness in each bite
yummy umami
Umami is Japanese for “pleasant savory taste” or “yummy”. It is one of the five basic tastes, but one that you may never have heard of. It refers to savory flavors triggered primarily by glutamic acid, which instills a meaty flavor into meatless dishes and enhances the flavors of meaty foods. It can be found in seared meats, fermented sauces such as soy sauce, aged cheeses, and tomatoes. The sodium salt of glutamic acid, monosodium glutamate (MSG), enhances the flavor of any food. The matcha and koshian flavored macaron is full of #umami.
matcha
Matcha is used in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony, consumed as a replacement for coffee, and used to flavor various foods. Matcha is a finely ground, powdered green tea from Camellia sinensis leaves that has been specially grown. The plants are shaded during the last 20 days before harvest, which increases the amount of theanine and caffeine in the tea leaves. Theanine is an amino acid that is an ethylamide of glutamic acid. Therefore, it is theanine that gives #matcha its rich umami flavor.
Personally, I enjoy drinking matcha several times a day. The process of preparing the matcha bowl, sifting the matcha powder, adding the warm water, whisking the tea, then drinking can be a very relaxing and #meditative practice. Drinking matcha in this way is like adding a mini tea ceremony to bring balance to my day.
Koshian
Anko, sweet red bean paste, is the central ingredient for many traditional Japanese confections. There are two basic forms of red bean paste, tsubuan (chunky) and koshian (smooth). The basic difference is that when making #koshian the cooked azuki beans are passed through a strainer to remove the outer shell resulting in a smooth paste. My last blog post, Anko - sweet red bean paste, describes my experience making koshian.
Now on to making the macarons
Macarons are the perfect gift for a baby shower. They lend a small, sweet touch that reminds you of the small, sweet baby to come. My nurse recently had a baby, and for her baby shower she requested matcha macarons with koshian filling.
The matcha koshian macarons begin with the basic macaron shell recipe in the Bouchon Bakery Cookbook. My previous blog post, Macarons for a Wedding, describes of the process of preparing the macaronage and baking the #macaron shells.
Matcha was added to the almond flour, confection sugar, and egg white mixture for flavor and color.
The #macaronage was piped into round shapes and allowed to dry slightly to form a thin skin.
The baked macaron shells are paired and ready for the smooth sweet red bean filling.
Koshian, smooth sweet red bean paste, is piped onto the macaron shell.
Matcha koshian macarons, a healthy sweet treat for the baby shower. My nurse was very happy, the baby shower was a success.
I hope you enjoyed the story. It is another culinary journey that is well worth the time and effort to travel.