MUGWORT BAR WITH RED BEAN WHIPPED CREAM
After coming back from Korea with 4 bags of coffee beans, I decided to host a coffee tasting and pastry pairing with a few friends. Each coffee was matched based on flavor profile to a pastry that was inspired by something I ate while on my trip. I also came back with a bag of mugwort, also known as ssuk (쑥), powder that I wanted to try using for baking and lattes. This mugwort bar with red bean whipped cream is based on a pastry I tried in the food court at Shinsegae department mall. While their version was a classic pastry tart shell filled with mugwort cake and cream, I wanted to make my version easier, without the need for tart molds, and landed on a dessert bar instead. I paired this one with the Fritz Coffee Company Arario Museum blend beans, which matched perfectly!
Mugwort Bar with Red Bean Whipped Cream
Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction and New York Times Cooking
Makes 1 9x9 bar, cut into 9 2x2 bars
Ingredients
12 sheets graham crackers
3/4 cup and 2 Tbsp butter, melted
3/4 cup and 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp mugwort powder
3 eggs and 1 egg yolk
2 1/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup sweetened red beans
9 mini yakgwa cookies (optional)
To make crust: Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9x9 square baking pan by lining with parchment paper with side overhangs to easily pull out the bar after baking. Use a food processor or a gallon zip plastic bag and crush graham crackers until evenly, finely ground like sand. Pour into a medium bowl and mix in 1/4 cup sugar, then 6 Tbsp melted butter and use a spatula to mix until evenly moistened, like wet sand. Pour graham cracker mixture into prepared pan and press firmly in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Put pan into oven and bake for 10 minutes. Once baked, take out of oven and let cool while making the filling. Lower the oven temperature to 325°F once the crust is done baking and out of the oven.
To make filling: While the graham cracker crust is baking, mix together 1/2 cup sugar, salt, flour and mugwort powder in a large bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup melted butter. Add eggs and egg yolk, mixing each one in. Mix in 1 3/4 cup heavy cream and vanilla extract until evenly combined. Don’t be alarmed if the mixture is extremely loose and liquidy, this is normal. Pour prepared filling into pan over graham cracker crust. Put pan back in the oven and bake for 50 minutes, turning halfway through to ensure an even bake, until the edges are set and the center is still jiggly. Take out of oven and let cool completely. Cover with aluminum foil and let sit in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.
To make topping: Pour 1/2 cup heavy cream into a small bowl and add the sweetened red bean. Use a spatula to mash and mix the beans with the cream until the heavy cream turns a dusty pink color. Pour heavy cream through a strainer into a medium bowl and use the spatula to mash the beans in the strainer to ensure all heavy cream liquid comes out. You can discard the beans after. Add 1 Tbsp of sugar to the heavy cream and whip on medium speed until stiff peaks form. Prepare a piping bag with round tip and fill the piping bag with prepared whipped cream.
To assemble: Take chilled mugwort bar out of baking pan by running a knife along the non-parchment paper-lined edges and lift out using the parchment paper overhang. The edges will be raised from baking — use a clean knife to trim the raised edges off, about a 1/2 inch on each side. You can eat (chef’s treat) the edges or discard. Slice the remaining square bar in a 3 by 3 grid into 9 even squares. Use the piping bag to pipe a dollop of red bean whipped cream on each square. Garnish each with a mini yakgwa cookie, if using.
Notes: If you’re unfamiliar with mugwort, it has a bitter, earthy flavor, similar to matcha. I personally think it is stronger than matcha in flavor, so use caution if adding more mugwort powder to filling. The mugwort flavor does bake out a bit and get concealed by the graham cracker crust, so don’t be too concerned if the flavor seems strong if initially testing before bake. This would be a interesting recipe to also test with a shortbread base , and you can also replace the mugwort powder with matcha powder if mugwort is unavailable.