Delicious

Cold milk brings sweet relief from hot weather

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:00 JST, September 10, 2022

Many people lose their appetite amid the hot weather. Milk can be a good choice at such times due to its high nutritional value. Here, chef Yoshiko Fukuda teaches us how to make cold sweets using milk.

According to Tatsuya Hasegawa of Meiji Co.’s milk marketing department, dairy cows are susceptible to heat and milk production declines during the summer. This year’s heat is particularly severe, and there are concerns about a drop in milk production from fall onward. Meanwhile, feed prices have soared due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the weak yen, and dairy farmers continue to face difficult business conditions.

Hasegawa said, “I hope people will support Japanese dairy farmers by drinking milk.”

Fukuda has been creating milk recipes for about 10 years to encourage higher consumption. Milk is perfect for relieving summer fatigue. “Not only can you drink it as it is, but you can also enjoy a change in taste by making it into sweets,” she said.

She shared some recipes using the ingredients listed in the box accompanying this story. The first dish is milk and pineapple ice cream.

Put the eggs and granulated sugar in a bowl and mix. Add milk and mix further. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, place in a saucepan and heat.

Stir deeply and continuously with a rubber spatula. When the mixture starts to warm but before it starts boiling, reduce the heat to low and keep the mixture at a simmer for about 5 minutes to allow it to thicken.

When the mixture thickens, remove from heat, add condensed milk and mix. Place the mixture in a container and freeze for several hours. When the mixture becomes firm, remove from the freezer and stir with a fork. Add the pineapple, mix and chill in the freezer again. When the mixture has hardened, place it in a serving bowl and garnish with wafers or the fruit of your choice.

The second recipe is for a milk drink with amazake sweet sake and berries.

Thaw frozen mixed berries, place in a plastic bag and crush by hand. Add amazake, mix, pour into an ice cube tray and freeze. Place half a banana mashed with a fork in the bottom of each glass, add 3 or 4 amazake ice cubes, and pour in some milk.

The Yomiuri Shimbun
A mashed berries mixture is poured into an ice cube tray.

Thanks to the ice cubes, the drink stays cold and tasty for a long time.

The last dish is a typical Vietnamese sweet called che.

Place coconut milk, milk and sugar in a saucepan and heat. When the sugar dissolves, turn off the heat and let cool. Boil tapioca in boiling water then cool in cold water. Arrange frozen mixed berries, tapioca, nata de coco, frozen mango and finely chopped kiwi fruit in each glass, and pour in the coconut milk mixture.

“The milk adds a gentle sweetness,” Fukuda said.