T2 has teamed up with ‘dessert king’ at KOI in Sydney and former MasterChef star Reynold Poernomo to create tea infused desserts. Reynold has created two very unique, tea-infused winter dessert recipes: Apple Crumble and Panna Brûlée
We caught up with Reynold to talk about his work with T2 and what he’s been up to since appearing in the 2015 series of Masterchef.
The two new tea infused desserts that you’ve developed look amazing! What went into developing these recipes?
I picked two of my favourite T2 teas and decided to work on their characteristics, whether it has nuttiness or fruitiness and defined it or inspired a dessert from it. A few trials and error, adding components or removing them, it’s all a part of building a new recipe I guess.
A lot of people might not necessarily think to include tea and/or tea flavours in their cooking/recipes. What are some of the top tips you can provide to help people with infusing tea into their recipes?
Matcha seems to be the only tea crazed ingredient to be used in desserts, but if you think about it when you go to bubble tea stores, tea itself can be combined with other flavours to create a nice drink. It can go both ways with desserts, infusing a liquid or creating smoke from the tea. Use the right tea and know the tea, black tea for example is awesome with milk.
What tips would you give to those wanting to try your two recipes for T2 Tea?
Work organised and substitute anything that is necessary. If you can’t do spherification at home then just turn it into jelly. Make do with what you have!
Do you have a favourite T2Tea?
Creme brulee and apple crumble are the obvious two, but I do love Gorgeous Geisha or Fruitilicious.
We all witnessed your exceptional skill with desserts and sweets whilst watching Masterchef! Since then you’ve opened up your own restaurant KOI Dessert Bar showcasing beautiful and interesting desserts. What have been some of the interesting experiences you’ve had since Masterchef? What gives you inspiration for your desserts at KOI Dessert Bar?
I’d say an interesting experience for me would be the realisation that not everybody can do this or last long in this kind of environment, working in the kitchen is one thing but running a business with it is another story. When we get bored of a dish at KOI, I always get pushed to dig deep and build an exciting new dish, I draw inspiration from nature mostly, such as gardens or colour.
For more information, visit t2tea.com or www.koidessertbar.com.au
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