Yuzu has been a trend flavor in all things culinary for a while now, from cocktails and mocktails, in chocolate, ice cream and other infused specialty items, yuzu is here to stay. It is a well loved ingredient in Japanese cuisine. It is one of my favorite citrus flavors, incredibly aromatic and high acid and I am constantly finding ways to use it.

One of my most favorite things about traveling to Britain is the afternoon tea service. Complete with cucumber tea sandwiches, petit-fours, a tea pot with hot tea and scones with jam and Devonshire clotted cream. The service is decadent and such a beautiful ritual to share with good friends and family.

I drink a Matcha Latte almost daily, made with home made nut milk and ceremonial grade Matcha tea. My mother-in-law used to teach green tea ceremony from Japan and gifted me, years ago a large can of ceremonial grade matcha. It is difficult to drink anything else. So naturally when I thought about creating this tapioca pudding dessert, I used the same tea. But honestly, don’t feel the pressure or necessity to use ceremonial grade, I am sure other matcha’s will do the trick

I find figs to be such a sensual fruit, juicy with robust flesh. In the 16th Century Baroque master Caravaggio’s painting Basket of Fruit there are four figs, all four plump, luscious and bursting with ripeness. They are the fruit of the ficus tree which to my surprise is part of the Mulberry family. Cultivated for centuries, the fig, historically, symbolize unity, truth and universal understanding.They are on my list of top 5 favorite fruits, they satisfy my occasional sweet tooth craving, since I have cut out refined sugars from my diet. I snack on fresh figs often when in season and love to include them in an arugula salad with walnuts and fresh goat cheese.  Figs are high in fiber, so they make a great natural laxative.