How can I hot-infuse cream before whipping?

[jrshaul]

Today, I tried making earl grey cream puffs by heating cream to 140F and infusing with tea for an hour. While the infusion was successful, the resulting attempt at whipping was not. How high can I go before the cream no longer whips?

[Panaderia Canadiense]

You can probably go as high as you did, but you'll need to chill the cream back down to 10 C or so before you whip it. I've done hot-infusions before with cream, but I've always given it a day's rest in the fridge before trying to whip it.

Otherwise, you'll have to go the modernist route and add some stabilizers - methocel and xanthan gum come to mind.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Pressure infuse the cream in an iSi.

[Drewman]

Heat it today, chill in the frig overnight, whip it tomorrow. Works the same way if you accidentally overwhip your cream. Don't throw it out, heat it up to melt the fat & remove the air. Into the frig overnight & it whips up good as new tomorrow.

[Darienne]

Wow! Never even thought about it. Thanks for the question and information! Always something new to learn. :smile:

[Alleguede]

Apparently, boiled cream whips up better. It's the same technique as for a whipped ganache. Just infuse the cream and tea and let it sit for at least 4 hours best overnight. The colder the better for cream

[LT Wong]

Drewman, thanks for the tip on overwhipped cream. I've always thought it unsalvageable.

[jrshaul]

I need to get some more cream and retry this. I threw the cream in an ice bath to get it cold before rewhipping, but it wasn't there very long - perhaps the duration of chilling affects the ability to whip?

[mkayahara]

I need to get some more cream and retry this. I threw the cream in an ice bath to get it cold before rewhipping, but it wasn't there very long - perhaps the duration of chilling affects the ability to whip?

Indeed it would. Heston Blumenthal comments in The Fat Duck Cookbook that ice cream bases should be held at fridge temperature for 8 to 24 hours to allow the milk fat droplets to crystallize - which is an important factor in whipped cream.