Peach Melba with Hojicha

Preparation

1.In a saucepan, bring water and sugar to a boil. Remove from heat, add hojicha leaves, cover and steep for 5 minutes.

2.Strain the syrup through a fine sieve to remove the tea leaves, then return it to the saucepan.

3.Add the lemon juice to the syrup. Place the peach halves, skin-side down, then cook over very low heat without boiling for about 10 minutes, until tender.

4.Transfer the peaches with their syrup to a bowl. While still warm, carefully remove the skin, then let cool completely before refrigerating for at least 1 hour.

5.Blend raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice until smooth. Then strain to remove the seeds.


6.Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream in each serving dish. Add a chilled peach half with a little of its syrup, then generously drizzle with raspberry coulis.

7.Decorate with whipped cream, toasted slivered almonds, and a pinch of hojicha.


Tips

The remaining syrup is delicious diluted with sparkling water to make a "peach-hojicha soda."