When I first started this account, one of the first things I made was crème brûlée! It’s been about a year now and I’ve been able to experiment with different flavors and foods and get more comfortable making new dishes that I wouldn’t have dreamed of before. Thai tea is one of my favorite flavors, so I thought, why not try it as a crème brûlée flavor? The tea adds so much depth to this classic dessert and it’s a guaranteed hit!
Thai Tea Crème Brûlée
Equipment
- kitchen torch
- ramekins
Ingredients
- 5 egg yolks
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for topping
- 2 tbsp thai tea mix1
Instructions
- In a large bowl (make sure hit has a spout!) add the egg yolks and the sugar, whisk together thoroughly, and set aside. Preheat the oven to 320°F.
- In a medium pot, add the heavy cream and the thai tea mix. To make it easier, I recommend putting the thai tea in a bundle of cheesecloth or a refillable teabag, but if you don't have those it's fine to have it loose, you'll just need to use a strainer later. Heat the cream over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cream just starts to bubble. Remove the cream from the heat, and remove the thai tea bag. If you didn't put the tea in something, I recommend straining the hot cream into a second bowl or pitcher, rather than trying to do it at the same time as the next step.Slowly stream the hot cream into the egg and sugar mix, constantly whisking. It's very important to do this slowly, or else the hot cream can cook and curdle the egg yolks.
- Once the custard is fully mixed, gently pour it into 4-6 ramekins, depending on their size. Fill them almost to the top, leaving a little bit of room or else you'll never move them without spilling. Place these ramekins in a baking dish (or several baking dishes, depending on how they fit) and fill the dishes with hot water 1/2-3/4 of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Carefully place the baking dishes in the oven, and bake for 25-30 minutes. The cook time will vary depending on the size and shape of the ramekins, so make sure you check frequently. The custard is done when you gently shake the baking dish and the custard still has a little bit of wobble in the middle.
- When the custards are done, take them out of the oven and chill them in the fridge for 3-4 hours, or until they're chilled through and well set. When ready to serve, sprinkle the tops liberally with granulated sugar and torch them with a kitchen torch. Alternately, you can use a broiler, though this option doesn't provide as much control as a torch does, so be careful not to burn the sugar!
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Thai tea mixes are pretty easy to find, especially if you have a nearby Asian market you can visit. My favorite is the Pantai Thai Tea Mix.
