Sweet tea hearts

Bring the milk and butter to a boil. Add the flour all at once and stir constantly over ~80°C until you get a smooth, dry paste.

Whisk the eggs with the salt. Gradually incorporate the egg mixture into the choux paste, a little at a time, until a smooth, pipeable dough is achieved.

Bring the milk (1) to a boil with the sugar and black tea. Let steep for 5-7 minutes, then strain. Bring the flavored liquid to a boil again.

Mix the milk (2) with the vanilla custard powder until smooth. Add to the boiling tea liquid and stir until it thickens into a cream.

Cool the cream quickly on a sanitized tray.

Once cooled, smooth the cream and gently fold in the whipped cream.

Slowly melt the sugar in a copper pan over medium heat until it becomes a light caramel.

Weigh the brioche dough into portions of 1’660 g each. Shape into rectangles and press slightly flat. Cover and let rest in the fridge for 30–45 minutes.

Roll the well-chilled dough to 2.5 mm thickness. Let it rest in the freezer at -18°C for another 30–45 minutes.

Cut out hearts with a heart-shaped pastry cutter (7–8 cm high). Place the dough hearts on trays lined with silicone paper. Cover and leave to proof well.

Brush the proofed doughs with egg wash. Load into a mild oven. After 3 minutes, steam and bake the hearts until golden brown.

Fill the prepared choux pastry into a piping bag with a medium sized nozzle. Pipe hearts about 6 cm high (~20 g each) onto silicone-lined trays, spacing them apart. Brush the surface lightly with egg wash.

Bake in a pre-steamed oven. During the second half of baking, slightly open the vent and continue baking until golden brown.

Trim the bottoms of the cooled choux pastry hearts. Pipe ~25 g of black tea diplomat cream into each hollow.

Place the filled choux hearts on the cooled brioche hearts.

Drizzle the tops with the light caramel.

Tip: For Valentine’s Day, the sweet tea hearts can also be garnished with a small marzipan rose.