Apple Roses
Yield = 10 Roses
Apple Roses . . .
5 medium sized Apples (granny smith & honey crisp)
washed and sliced 1/8 inch
¼ tsp. Lemon Zest
1½ Tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice
6 Tbsp. 75 grams Granulated Sugar
6 Tbsp. 75 grams Brown Sugar (light or dark)
5 Tbsp. 38 grams All-purpose Flour
¾ tsp. Ground Cinnamon
½ tsp. Ground Nutmeg
¼ tsp. Cardamom
1/8 tsp. Kosher Salt
½ tsp. Vanilla Extract
2 sheets Puff Pastry Sheets - thawed (suggest Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets)
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees with a shelf in the middle of the oven. Make sure you also have an open shelf in the bottom of the oven. Spray your standard sized muffin tins lightly with a baker’s spray.
2. Fill a large mixing bowl with water half way and add a dash of lemon juice to the water.
3. Wash and dry your apples. Slice them in half from top to bottom. Remove the core ends and cut out the core center of the apple. Lay each half of the apple down on the cored out center and slice the apple from top to bottom no larger than 1/8 of an inch (a U.S. quarter coin is a good guide for the desired thickness). Place the apple slices into the bowl of water & lemon juice when they are sliced.
4. After all of the apples are sliced, drain the apple slices and place them into a large pot. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and kosher salt to the pot with the apples.
5. Use a silicone spatula to gently mix the apples, being careful not to break them, until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed over the apples.
6. Cover the pot and place the apples on the stove over medium heat. Set a timer for 12 minutes. Gently stir the apples every three minutes during the 12 minutes they are cooking.
7. Remove the apples from the heat after 12 minutes and uncover the pot to allow the apples to start cooling down. Add the vanilla extract to the pot and stir gently.
8. Roll out one of the sheets of puff pastry dough so that the sheet measures 10 inches by 10 inches. Allow the rolled out dough to rest for a few minutes before cutting it into strips. After the dough has rested, cut the dough into five 2 wide inch strips.
9. Work with one of the strips at a time. Start at one of the long ends and lay an apple slice on the strip with the cut ends going on the middle of the strip and the curved end sticking out the side of the strip. Lay the next piece of apple on the strip the same way and overlap the last piece no more than half way. Continue placing apples along the strip until you reach the other end. Now fold the other half of the strip up over the placed apples. Starting at one end of the strip, roll the strip up being careful not to break the apples. While you are rolling the strip up, use your fingers to keep the apples in place between the puff pastry. Place the rolled up pastry/apples in one of the prepared muffin cups. Repeat this step until you have rolled up ten strips of dough.
10. Place a 9 x 13 inch pan filled half way with water on the bottom shelf of the preheated oven.
11. Place the muffin tins on the middle shelf of the oven and bake the apple flowers for 40 to 45 minutes. The visible puff pastry should look baked when they are ready. Remove the muffin tins and cool on a wire rack before removing the apple roses from the muffin tins. You may need to run a sharp knife around the perimeter of the apples to free up the sides from the tins.