I love how the Japanese manage to make everything cute. From clione (basically sea slugs, but they’re called sea angels), to daruma (those giant red and white dolls with the crazy eyes and mustaches), to marimo (little aquatic moss balls that some children even keep as pets). Marimo are super adorable, just because they’re perfectly round, fuzzy, vibrant green, and since they’re aquatic, you can sit them in a fish tank. They also help clean up polluted air and water, so they’re not only simple and adorable, but also helpful. And before you think I’m a marimo-killer, no, these truffles merely resemble them. No moss balls were blended into the truffles in any way, shape, or form. Just had to clarify that before anyone thought that I was going in that direction with this recipe.

For my truffles, I went with a pistachio-matcha-yuzu ganache, and the coating is a mixture of ground pistachio, matcha, and spirulina powders. I wanted to use these flavors because not only were they naturally green, but they are very harmonious. Matcha provides bitterness, spirulina and pistachio add in some salt and umami, the white chocolate is there for fat, sweetness, and body, while the yuzu balances out the white chocolate to make sure that everything isn’t too sweet or cloying. I just love how the ground pistachio with the spirulina and matcha is this vibrant green that matches the color of marimo. That and the spirulina being seaweed makes it a cousin to the aquatic moss ball(still technically no marimo were harmed in this process, just their cousin). If you think that seaweed is weird in a dessert, to be honest, the spirulina is there more for flavor than anything else.

For the ganache:
1 cup white chocolate
2 tablespoons yuzu juice
3/4 cups ground pistachios
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons heavy cream
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons matcha powder
1/4 teaspoon spirulina powder

Transfer everything into a blender and puree until completely smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl and freeze for 30 minutes, or until firm.

For the coating:
1 cup finely ground pistachios
2 tablespoons matcha powder
1/2 tablespoon spirulina powder

Combine together to form a powder. Roll about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ganache in the coating to form your truffles.