Thai tea two-ways

This is the real deal! Trust K to move heaven and earth when in search for food or ingredient which is crucial to anything she wants to make … that I want to make as well- and vice versa. I could be like that if I'm not lazy; you know, more resourceful … if I don't lose focus and nothing else arouses my interest.

Truth to the matter is I had this bag of Thai tea for more than a week already. K sent me a message on a weekend to let me know she found it-where else but in an Asian market? I just haven't gotten around the crème brulee project because my broiler is still out of commission. But I made it yesterday anyway. The plan is just to bring the ramekins to work where she can just blow torch the tops.

The tea is in loose leaf form and K is thoughtful enough to give me little pouches /bags to put it in for steeping. Still I had to sieve the mixture using a strainer and a cheese cloth a number of times to make sure the tea custard mix is smooth and free of the tiniest speck of tea leaves. It required a little bit more patience but I know I will be rewarded in the end. You can just imagine the excitement I felt as the white creamy milk turned into the amber-orange color that screams Thai tea! And when I tasted it- it really is Thai tea ha ha.

While the ramekins are hanging out in the oven, I made my other favorite dessert- panna cotta. It is a two-layer goodness of Thai tea at the bottom then topped with almond cream which I made from half and half, almond extract, a little heavy cream, granulated sugar and Knox gelatin. The tea part is half and half, sugar, pure vanilla extract and 3 tea bags each one containing one level tablespoon of the tea leaves.

I divided the cream into two Pyrex loaf dish about an inch or so and left some for a dessert glass. For some reason the tea part in one didn’t turn out as firm as the rest. The tea flavor is very much there- just the firmness-which made me think I should use two packets of Knox instead of 1 ½. I love the almond part because the texture is perfect. The one I separated in a dessert glass is the best one of all I think. With a dollop of dulce de leche- why wouldn’t it be?

See how I devoured the whole thing.... down to the last spoonful...

Here's how I made it:

Going back to the crème brulee, this is the picture of "torched top" one courtesy of K. According to her, hubby finished it all which is tantamount to a good review- he liked it.