Adam Liaw’s strawberry and cream croissants

Name: Adam Liaw’s strawberry and cream croissants
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 6
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 4-6 good-quality croissants (depending on size); 250g strawberries, hulled and sliced; icing sugar, for dusting

Adam Liaw

May 30, 2025

Strawberry and cream croissants.William Meppem

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:6

We’re in the middle of a nationwide croissant boom, so why not transform some good-quality croissants into your own sweet treat?

Ingredients

4-6 good-quality croissants (depending on size)
250g strawberries, hulled and sliced
icing sugar, for dusting

Creme diplomat

250ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
40g sugar
25g cornstarch
25g unsalted butter
150ml thickened cream

Method

Step 1
First, make a creme patissiere. Place the milk and vanilla into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, watching it carefully so it doesn’t overflow. Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and whisk until pale. Whisk the cornstarch through the eggs. Add the hot milk into the egg mixture in a thin stream while whisking continuously. Pour back into the saucepan and whisk until the custard thickens and starts to bubble. Pass through a sieve to remove any egg lumps, then whisk in the butter. Chill in the fridge with a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of the creme.
Step 2
Whip the thickened cream to soft peaks. Whisk a little of the cream into the chilled creme patissiere, then fold the rest of the cream in with a spatula. Transfer to a piping bag.
Step 3
Split the croissants almost in half. Add the sliced strawberries and pipe in a generous amount of the creme diplomat. Dust the croissants with icing sugar and serve.

Adam’s tip: Sometimes called creme legere, creme diplomat is a light but stable combination of creme patissiere (pastry cream) and creme chantilly (whipped cream).

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