Nic and Kelly Watt are the husband-and-wife team behind brand-new wellness destination, True Food & Yoga in Auckland. They are also passionate about the health benefits of antioxidant-rich matcha and have created these recipes exclusively for FQ Life.

Taking a wholistic approach to wellbeing, Nic and Kelly Watt recently opened the doors to True Food & Yoga in Auckland’s Okahu Bay. With two studios, an 80-seat café and a wellness room, Kelly, a qualified yoga teacher and reflexologist, says their philosophy for the new venture is to “deliver lifestyle benefits and excellent food in an inspiring setting”. Nic is also the celebrated chef of the much-awarded restaurant, Masu by Nic Watt.

Here, the couple shares three flavourful desserts that boast one common ingredient – matcha green tea powder. With its antioxidants and vitamins, Nic and Kelly say the fine, vibrant powder not only adds powerful health benefits to food, but makes a good-looking and tasty addition to dishes with its colour and earthy flavour profile.

Vanilla Bean Baked Cream with Matcha Meringues, Feijoa and Tamarillo

1 vanilla bean, split
165g liquid honey
165ml cream
250ml milk
250ml coconut cream
5 egg yolks
5 whole eggs
3 fresh tamarillos, quartered
3 fresh passion fruit
1 tsp fresh feijoa, sliced
3 mint-leaf tips

1. Preheat oven to 80°C.
2. Heat the vanilla bean, honey and cream in a saucepan, then leave to cool. Add milk, coconut cream, yolks and eggs, and whisk to combine. Pass this through a sieve.
3. Pour into a serving bowl and steam-bake at 80°C for about 40-45 minutes. Leave to cool, then refrigerate before serving.

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Matcha meringues

50g egg whites
100g caster sugar
15g icing sugar
10g matcha powder
Whisk egg whites and gradually add caster sugar, keep whisking into firm peaks. Sieve icing sugar and matcha powder into the meringue, folding to combine. Pipe kisses onto greased, paper-lined oven trays. Dust with matcha powder. Leave to dry overnight in a 65°C oven.

To serve
Once the baked cream has cooled, spoon fruit and a few mint tips over the top,
then finish with the matcha meringues.

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Chia Seed and Matcha Pudding

4 cups organic chia seeds, activated
and soaked in cold water overnight
4 tbsp matcha green tea powder
4 tbsp raw honey
1 tsp cinnamon powder
4 tbsp coconut yoghurt
4 slices of banana, caramelised with
1 tsp of castor sugar and
a blowtorch, or under the grill
4 tsp goji berries, soaked in water

Divide the soaked chia seeds into two portions. Mix one half with the matcha powder and the remaining half with the honey and cinnamon.

To serve
Spoon the matcha chia into the base of four serving glasses, top with the honey-seasoned chia. Garnish with coconut yoghurt, caramelised banana slices and goji berries.

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Raw Chocolate, Raspberry and Matcha Tart

Tart base
200g 50/50 mix of goji berries and cocoa nibs
50g coconut thread
350g pitted dates
1 tbsp coconut oil

1. Rub coconut oil over the base
of a nine-inch tart tin.
2. Blitz all the ingredients in a food processor, then use your hands to mould and evenly spread the tart
base into the tin. Refrigerate to firm.
Note: If you have any spare base,
it will roll up beautifully into bliss balls.

Raw chocolate
500g raw cocoa butter
250g Valrhona cocoa powder
1 tsp dried vanilla bean powder
2 tbsp candied ginger syrup

1. Over a double boiler, gently melt the cocoa butter in a medium-sized bowl. When completely melted, whisk in the cocoa powder, vanilla bean powder and ginger syrup. Allow to cool slightly, but don’t let it go cold and hard.
2. Pour the raw chocolate into the cold base and leave to set.

To serve
2 punnets raspberries
1 tbsp matcha powder

Garnish the tart top with raspberries and dust with matcha powder.