Thai Tea Pastry Cream

1. In a large sauce pan, stir milk, Thai tea mix, and ¼ cup sugar together. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Do not let it boil.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolks, corn starch, and ⅓ cup sugar.
3. Once the milk has reached a simmer, turn the heat off. Strain the tea leaves.
4. Pour ½ cup of the milk mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to avoid curdling. Then quickly pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, whisking constantly. Return to medium heat.
5. Continue whisking until the cream thickens. This will take about 14-17 minutes so be patient! Keep whisking to avoid cooking the eggs.
6. Remove from heat once thickened. Stir in butter until melted.
7. Transfer the pastry cream to a clean cool bowl, cover, and cool in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours before using.
   

Craquelin

1. Cream butter (softened), brown sugar, and flour together using a spatula or a mixer with paddle attachment. Transfer the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough to about 1-2mm thickness, then freeze it for an hour or until ready to use.

Choux Pastry

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F
2. Pour water and milk into a sauce pan. Then add butter, sugar and salt. Place over medium heat and bring it to a boil. When the butter melts completely and little bubbles start to appear, reduce the heat to low. Add sifted flour and immediately start mixing using a spatula.
3. Cook on low heat for anther minute or so, while constantly mixing the flour until completely incorporated. The dough should be thick and smooth, but not dry. When you pull the dough away, you should see a thin glossy film on the bottom of the pan.
4. Turn the heat off. Transfer the dough to a clean mixing bowl. Let is cool for about 2 minutes. You can also cool the dough by using a standing mixer with paddle attachment, mix for about 1-2 minutes. If the dough is too hot, it will cook the eggs. You want to cool the dough, but not too much. The dough should still be warm to touch.
5. Mix the warm dough on low speed. Add eggs to the dough, one at a time, until completely incorporated. The dough should be sticky, like thick paste. When you lift the paddle attachment or spatula up, it should form and hold a ‘V’ shape.
6. Transfer choux pastry to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe 12-14 choux mounds onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The size of choux mounds depend on your tracing circles/round cutter. You want to match the size with the craquelin tops. Leave space in between as the dough will spread and expand.
7. Smooth the top/peaks with a wet fingertip. Sprinkle some water onto the baking sheet.
8. Remove the craquelin from the freezer. Stamp out craquelin with a round cutter. Gently place place each round craquelin on top of a choux pastry mound.

Baking

1. First, bake at 425°F for 12 minutes. You should see the choux pastry rise and ‘puff’ up!
2. Then turn down the heat to 350°F and bake for 10 minutes. This extra baking time gives the craquelin top a beautiful dark golden brown color.
3. Once done, do not take the cream puffs out of the oven right away. Turn the oven off and use a wooden spoon to slightly prop the oven door open, let cool for 15 minutes.

Thai Tea Diplomat Cream

1. In a large bowl using a handheld or standing mixer, beat the heavy cream until stiff peak forms. Then slowly fold the the pastry cream in until combined. Transfer the diplomat cream to a piping bag fitted with a round tip.

Assembly (2 ways)

1. Using a serrated knife, cut the top off the cream puffs. Pipe Thai tea cream into the hollow space until it reaches the brim. Then top with the choux lid you just cut off, like putting a hat on! Dust it with powdered sugar (optional). OR
2. Using a chopstick, poke a hole in the bottom of each cream puff. Through the hole, insert the piping tip into each cream puff and pipe the cream until the hollow space is filled. Dust it with powdered sugar (optional).