Crème Brulée Éclairs

Our latest addition to the éclair line-up at the bakery is this über yummy Chai Tea Crème Brulée. 

Bite through the candy-crunch shell of amber caramel, and you'll be rewarded with a frangrant and silky cremeux center.

This was another collaborative project with one of my cooks who came up with the crème brulée idea. Chai tea is one of my favorite flavor "profiles" because it can be so complex yet warm and homey feeling at the same time.  The filling gets much of its creaminess from a fair amount of Dulcey, a caramelized white chocolate product of Valrhona, which also enhances the flavor of the tea.

Chai Tea Cremeux

Fills about 50 5-inch éclairs

500 g  heavy cream

550 g. whole milk

40 g. loose chai tea (we use Harney & Sons brand)

200 g. egg yolks

100 g. sugar

550 g. Dulcey chocolate, melted

6 g. gelatin leaves

Scald cream and milk and whisk in tea.  Turn off the heat, cover, and allow to steep 5 minutes.  Pour this liquid into the yolks and sugar that have been previously blanched.  Return to a clean pot and cook slowly, stirring with a rubber spatula, until it reaches 85C.  Strain this anglaise over the chocolate and bloomed gelatin.  Buzz everything together with a hand blender and chill over ice with a sheet of plastic on the surface.  It is best to hold the cremeux overnight in the fridge before using.