Apple Crunch with Cider Cream

Cook Time 1 hour + cooling time

Servings 4

Ingredients

Pastry
4 sheets fillo pastry
150g clarified butter

Apple Filling
4 green apples
50g sugar
40g butter
1 pinch cinnamon
½ piece vanilla bean

Cider Cream
200ml whipped cream
40g icing sugar
30ml apple cider or calvados liquor

Method

For the pastry, lay out fillo pastry onto a dry surface. Brush with clarified butter and dust generously with icing sugar. Turn the sheets over and brush again with clarified butter and dust with icing sugar. Cut the fillo in half widthways. Repeat above-mentioned procedure once again. Place both halves of each fillo crumpled into pie moulds 8-10 cm diameter, one of the halves loosely in the mould and the other half with an indent (to place the filling later). Bake both at 175C for 25 minutes or till golden brown and evenly caramelized. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

For the filling, peel, core and cut each apple into cubes (1.5cm). In a saucepan, saute the apples with  sugar, vanilla, butter and cinnamon until apples are lightly caramelized but still firm. Mixture should be fairly dry. Remove from heat and set aside until cooled to lukewarm.

For the cider cream, beat the cream and the icing sugar until it forms soft peaks. Add the cider and keep aside.

To assemble, place one of the crispy baked fillo pastry discs with the indentation onto a serving tray. Spread the lukewarm apple filling evenly onto the pastry. Just before serving spread cider cream over the apples. Smooth the cream with a pallette knife. Top with the second layer of fillo pastry. Dust with icing sugar.