Thai Tea Crème Brûlée Croissants

Ingredients

For the Croissants:

• 6 croissants (store-bought or homemade)

For the Thai Tea Pastry Cream:

• 2 cups whole milk
• 5 tablespoons Thai tea mix
• 2 tablespoons sugar (for infusing milk)
• ⅓ cup sugar (for egg mixture)
• 1 large egg
• 2 egg yolks
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream, whipped to stiff peaks

For the Caramelized Sugar Glaze:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup water

Instructions

Make the Thai Tea Pastry Cream:

1. Infuse the Milk In a medium saucepan, combine the whole milk, Thai tea mix, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. Do not let it boil! Once it reaches a simmer and the milk has turned that gorgeous orange color, remove from heat. Let it steep for 5 minutes to intensify the Thai tea flavor.
2. Prepare the Egg Mixture While the milk infuses, whisk together the egg, 2 egg yolks, cornstarch, and ⅓ cup sugar in a medium bowl until smooth and well combined. The mixture should be thick and pale yellow.
3. Strain the Tea Leaves Pour the infused milk through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container to remove all the Thai tea leaves. Discard the leaves. Return the strained, infused milk to the saucepan.
4. Temper the Eggs This step is crucial to prevent scrambled eggs! Slowly drizzle about ½ cup of the hot Thai tea-infused milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly. This gradually raises the temperature of the eggs without cooking them. Once combined, pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk, whisking constantly.
5. Cook the Pastry Cream Place the saucepan over medium heat. Whisk constantly for 14-17 minutes until the mixture thickens significantly and coats the back of a spoon. It should look like thick pudding. Don't stop whisking or you'll get lumps! The mixture will go from thin and liquidy to suddenly very thick, so watch carefully.
6. Finish with Butter Once thickened, remove from heat immediately. Add the butter and stir until completely melted and incorporated. The butter adds richness and helps create a silky texture.
7. Chill Completely Transfer the pastry cream to a clean bowl. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the cream (this prevents a skin from forming). Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight until completely cold and set.
8. Fold in Whipped Cream Right before filling the croissants, whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chilled Thai tea pastry cream using a spatula. This lightens the texture and adds volume. The pastry cream is now ready to use!

Make the Caramelized Sugar Glaze:

9. Cook the Sugar Syrup In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water. Place over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves completely. Once dissolved, stop stirring! Let the mixture simmer undisturbed.
10. Reach Caramelization Temperature Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Continue simmering without stirring until the temperature reaches 320°F and the syrup turns a light amber color. This takes about 10-15 minutes. Watch carefully in the final minutes as it can go from perfect to burnt quickly! Once it reaches 320°F and is light amber, immediately remove from heat.
11. Caramelize the Croissants Working very quickly and carefully (the sugar is extremely hot!), use tongs to hold each croissant by the bottom and dip just the top into the caramelized sugar. Let excess drip off, then place the croissant caramelized-side up on a piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat. The sugar will harden within 30-60 seconds, creating a crispy crème brûlée-style shell. Repeat with all croissants. Be extremely careful not to touch the hot sugar!

Assemble the Croissants:

12. Fill with Pastry Cream Once the caramelized sugar has hardened and cooled (about 5 minutes), carefully slice each croissant in half horizontally using a serrated knife. Transfer the Thai tea pastry cream (with whipped cream folded in) to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip, or use a spoon. Pipe or spoon a generous amount of the cream into the bottom half of each croissant.
13. Serve Immediately Place the top half of the croissant back on, pressing gently. The croissants are now ready to serve! They're best enjoyed immediately while the pastry is crisp and the cream is cold. The caramelized sugar adds an incredible crème brûlée-style crunch that contrasts beautifully with the flaky croissant and creamy filling.