A few years back, I visited Tokyo for the first time, and while there I detected a curious flavor in one of the desserts I tasted. None of the pastry-chef students I was there to teach was able to tell me exactly what it was. But later, when a couple of the students and I were poking around at the 100-yen shop (the fabulously fun Japanese equivalent of a 99¢ store), I randomly picked up a packet of beige powder with a colorful riot of Japanese lettering. My easily enthused guides got even more enthused, letting me know that I’d found exactly what I was looking for. When I got home, I discovered kinako in my local Japanese food shop and learned that it was roasted soybean powder. It has a taste similar to roasted nuts but more elusive and certainly more exotic.

　　

Ingredients

makes about 1 quart (1 liter)

　　1 cup (250 ml) whole milk

　　3/4 cup (150 g) sugar

　　6 tablespoons (55 g) kinako powder

　　Pinch of salt

　　2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream

　　6 large egg yolks

　　

Step 1

Whisk together the milk, sugar, kinako, and salt in a medium saucepan. Pour the cream into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.

　　

Step 2

Warm the kinako-flavored mixture. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

　　

Step 3

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula. Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Pour the mixture into a blender and purée for 30 seconds.

　　

Step 4

Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

　　

Variation

Step 5

To make a nondairy version of this ice cream, warm 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) plain soy milk with 3/4 cup (150 g) sugar and whisk in 3 1/2 tablespoons (35 g) kinako powder. Once warm, remove the mixture from the heat and chill thoroughly. Whiz it in the blender, and then freeze it in your ice cream maker.

　　

Perfect Pairing

Step 6

Make Kinako Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches, using the Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwich Cookies (page 223) and rolling the edges of the sandwiches in finely chopped Salt-Roasted Peanuts (page 188).

　　The Perfect Scoop