¼ cup (57 grams) unsalted butter, cubed and softened
6 ounces (170 grams) cream cheese, softened
2 cups (480 grams) cold heavy whipping cream
Garnish: ground cinnamon, ground cardamom
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
Let Orange Zest Pie Dough stand at room temperature until slightly softened, 10 to 20 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 14-inch circle (about ⅛ inch thick). Transfer to a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate, pressing into bottom and up sides. Trim excess dough to ½ inch beyond edge of plate; fold edges under, and crimp as desired. Freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.
Place plate on a rimmed baking sheet. Top dough with parchment paper. Add pie weights.
Bake until edges of crust are lightly golden and just set, 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully remove parchment and weights; bake until inside of crust is lightly golden, dry, and just set, 13 to 20 minutes more, loosely covering with foil to prevent excess browning, if necessary. (Do not overbake; crust will continue to firm and set as it cools.) Let cool completely on a wire rack.
In a small resealable plastic bag, combine cinnamon sticks, cloves, and peppercorns. Using a rolling pin, roughly crush spices.
In a medium saucepan, combine crushed spices, milk, ginger, and cardamom. Cook over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until steaming. (Do not boil.) Remove from heat, and stir in tea bags; let stand for 30 minutes.
Strain milk mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a 4- or 8-cup glass measuring cup. Add more milk to measure 4 cups (960 grams), if necessary. Return milk mixture to a clean medium saucepan; heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until steaming. (Do not boil.)
In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 cup (200 grams) sugar, cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon (3 grams) salt. Whisk in egg yolks and eggs until well combined. Gradually whisk half of warm milk mixture into sugar mixture. Add sugar mixture to remaining warm milk mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened, mixture no longer tastes starchy, and an instant-read thermometer registers 182°F (83°C) to 185°F (85°C), about 3 minutes.
Remove mixture from heat. Stir in butter in two additions. Pour and press mixture through a clean fine-mesh sieve into a large baking dish or bowl; smooth into an even layer. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap, pressing wrap directly onto surface of custard to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Spoon custard into prepared crust, smoothing into an even layer. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap, pressing wrap directly onto surface of custard; refrigerate until completely chilled and set, 8 hours or up to overnight.
When ready to serve, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese, remaining ½ cup (100 grams) sugar, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt at medium speed until smooth and well combined, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low; gradually add one-third of cold cream, beating until smooth and combined and stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Gradually add remaining cold cream; slowly increase mixer speed to medium-high as the cream thickens, and beat until thickened and medium-stiff peaks form. Spoon and spread cream cheese mixture over custard as desired. Garnish with ground cinnamon and cardamom, if desired.
Recipe by Bake from Scratch at https://staging.bakefromscratch.com/masala-chai-cream-pie/