Fruit Sando recipe and new matcha chocolate launch!

In classic April weather style we already had a few hot and sunny days … until we were back to 8°C, rain and darkness 🦦 But I think we can all see the light at the end of the tunnel and although it's not high strawberry season yet, we already received the first harvest here in the South of France and that makes a proper statement to the end of winter. 

I had my first Japanese fruit sando last year in Tokyo and it truly blew my mind. It's a perfect balance of light, fluffy, creamy, rich, sweet, tangy, soft and oishi (jp delicious) … and a great beach picnic especially for the months when it's not screaming hot yet.

Also, this easy, fun and light Japanese snack pairs super well with an iced matcha - especially our new “Soft Renewal” 🌱

All you need is:

• very soft sandwich bread (ideally a shokupan) - some speciality bakeries are now selling it so ask them directly Don't use brioche - it will be too sweet!

• full fat whipping cream (or a vegan version) + mascarpone

• depending on how sweet the vegan version is, adjust the amount of sweetener but if you go for dairy whipping cream, I like to use maple syrup. You can also just use powdered sugar and add some vanilla extract. Start with just 1 Tbsp - you will be surprised how little you need and this sandwich generally isn't super sweet except for the fruits - which are best when they are in season.

• get the sweetest, most fragrant and redest strawberries or any other fruit you can find that makes you drool :-)

• Optional: chopped mint

Cut the sandwich bread in finger thick pieces

Whip the cream with sweetener of choice until stiff peaks 

Add some mascarpone if you want - it adds stability and richness to the cream

Chop the mint in very thin slices and fold into the cream (optional)

Cut the greens off the strawberries and half them

Spread or pipe the cream on to the bread in a very thick layer and place the strawberries cut side down. The same principle applies to other fruits as well - cut side down!

Add another layer of cream and add the second piece of bread

Tightly wrap with cling film and store in the fridge for at least 1 hour

Cut in half diagonal and enjoy 😋

If you are one of the OG Grounded matcha lovers, you might remember our first collaboration with a Spanish chocolate company Kaitxo around 5 years ago where we have produced our first matcha chocolate. It was a huge success especially because there were not many matcha chocolates out there and working with a small manufacture has always been a dream of mine. Fast forward - there are still not many good ones out there unfortunately as it's time and cost intensive and you can only produce small batches in order to avoid oxidation and a change in colour due to occasional temperature changes. That's why I have wanted to work with Monsieur Txokola for over 3 years now because I knew they were equally committed to a good looking and tasting chocolate bar as I was. The collaboration took a while to come to fruition but this year we made it happen and I truly think it's one of the best ones I had so far! 

But you should try for yourself ...

BUY ME

And finally - our Matcha Bar is open again for the season! Come and visit us if you are in the South West of France this summer! We offer all our matcha powders to try - pure or with homemade cashew milk including some special summer drinks (coconut water matcha) and sweet little treats 🧁