Thai tea flavored creme brulee! Recently had an omakase dinner and this was the dessert course. The chef had us guess what flavor it was, and to be honest, it took me awhile. But definitely a fun new twist on creme brulee! While searching for recipes I also stumbled upon Ube flavored ones. (Maybe an idea for future posts!) This recipe is pretty close to our original creme brulee, just need to buy thai tea leaves/mix and sweetened condensed milk!
Cook Time: 70 minutes
Difficulty: ★ ★★☆☆
INGREDIENTS
1 quart heavy cream
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1.5 or 2 cups thai tea leaves (can add more if you want a stronger tea flavor)
Water
GARNISH
blueberries/blackberries
mint leaves
granulated sugar
RECIPE
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Place heavy cream, thai tea mix and vanilla extract in pot and bring to a boil. It's best to place the thai tea mix in a cloth strainer bag/cheese cloth. (thai tea mix found on Amazon, or local grocery store)
3. Whisk together 1/2 cup of sweetened condensed milk with 6 egg yolks until well blended.
4. Once cream has come to a boil and reached a nice orange color, remove from heat and then slowly pour the cream to the egg yolk/condensed milk mixture while whisking continuously.
5. Pour the liquid into 6 ramekins (7-8oz in size).
6. Place ramekins in large aluminum foil tray.
7. Pour hot water into tray until the water comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
8. Bake for 45 minutes at 325F.
9. Remove ramekins from tray and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. They can stay in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
10. When ready to serve, spread a thin layer of sugar on top.
11. Use a blow torch to melt the sugar until golden brown. Use circular motions for the torch and rotate the ramekin to avoid burning the sugar.
12. Top with your favorite berries and mint leaves.
CONCLUSION
Some tips: the heavy cream must come to a boil before you add it to the yolk mixture. Otherwise the crème brûlée will not set and instead you will end up with a watery pudding. Another tip, do not put too much sugar on top. You may end up with a thick layer of hard sugar that you can't even bite into. Just a thin layer of caramelized sugar with a light crunch is the goal. Also you will need to make sure your ramekins are oven safe. You can't use just any porcelain bowl. The mint leaves are a must as it provides the perfect hint of freshness and the berries balance all the sweetness. The number of aprons we decided to give this recipe is...
8/10