Dessert for a Thursday Afternoon

The ultimate in self indulgence - homemade green tea ice cream with lots and lots of azuki beans... need I say more? ;-)

Green Tea Ice Cream
(Adapted from David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop)

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 cups heavy cream
4 tsp green tea powder
5 large egg yolks
1 200g can of azuki beans

Method:
1) Warm the milk, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Put the cream in a large bowl and whisk in the green tea powder.
2) In another medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, then pour the warm milk mixture in it, whisk constantly. Scrape the mixture back into the saucepan.
3) Stir the mixture with a wooden spatula constantly over medium heat, until it has thickened and coats the spatula. Remove the custard from heat.
4) Put a mesh strainer over the large bowl with cream mixture, pour the custard into it. Whisk vigorously until the custard is frothy to dissolved the green tea powder. Stir until cool over an ice bath.
5) Chill in the fridge, then churn the mixture with an ice cream maker.
6) When the churning is done, stir azuki beans in the ice cream while it's still slightly soft. Freeze the ice cream in the freezer until it's ready to be served.