A high temperature splash plate for use in the combustor of a gas turbine engine that also is a specular optical reflector. A thin layer of a high temperature reflector is applied to the surface of the splash plate of the component that forms a boundary for hot combustion gases. The component typically includes a thermal barrier coating overlying the high temperature metallic component that permits the component to operate at elevated temperatures. The thermal barrier coating must be polished in order to provide a surface that can suitably reflect the radiation into the gas flow path. A thin layer of the high temperature reflector then is applied over the polished thermal barrier coating by a process that can adequately adhere the reflector to the polished surface without increasing the roughness of the surface. The surface reflects radiation in the direction of the turbine back into the hot gas flow path. The reflected radiation is not focused onto any other hardware component. The design of the splash plate is such that the radiation is not directed to an adjacent component, which only serves to increase the temperature of the wall of the component.