green tea + lychee = why i love being asian

While the other kids munched on apple slices, I spooned whole lychee fruits straight from the can.

My vivid memory of always being able to find a can of sugary sweet deliciousness in the pantry proved true once again when I was trying to come up with an inventive way to use the last packages of cream cheese.

It made me laugh the other day when on Unique Eats, the guy said, "They have all kinds of flavors... even lychee."  Yes, even lychee, which must be a staple fruit for all Asian families.  They are even better (surprise..) when fresh.  My preschool thumbs used to go raw peeling the little suckers on the ride home from 99 in Albuquerque (it was the equivalent of Raleigh's Grand Asia Market... my faulty memory doesn't remember anything about the exterior except that there was a giant red 99 on the front.  And it took me quite a few tries to spell Albuquerque correctly... no judging, it's difficult).  We always had to buy two bunches if we wanted them to last for more than a couple days.

What perfection, paired with the box of green tea powder I bought at an Asian store closing for about $10.  I've tried using tea leaves, but the flavor is just not as intense as I would like it to be.  Plus, waiting for them to steep is a hassle for lazy, impatient me.

As always, I go with what I have, and what I had was a economy box of biscotti, which is not a go-to snack, so I must use them in other ways - cheesecake crust! 

[As a side note, we used biscotti for a tiramisu cheesecake before, and Andrew's mom thought it was genius that he thought to put almonds in the crust, which he took credit for.  Not that they were baked into the biscotti or anything..]

Just used a basic cheesecake recipe, skipping the sour cream because I never have sour cream on hand.  Mixed in enough dissolved green tea to turn it green (and I could faintly smell it), and splashed a bit on the crust to both hold it together and tie the flavors in.  As for the lychee, I roughly chopped those up, folded half into the batter, and reduced the rest into a syrup with the liquid that it had been marinating in.  Whipped up some heavy whipping cream with a little spoonful of green powder (no sugar, mind you) to balance the sugary syrup with a subtle herbal scent.

Had no trouble finishing this one off by myself.

:)

Sadly this is the only thing I made during the summer with tea, despite my verbal resolution to Emily to make something for each tea I drink regularly.

Perhaps I'll create something for the first day of school, which is approaching fast.