Apple Napoleon

Photo: flickr user ford

Ingredients

4 ounces Brown sugar

4 ounces Butter

4 ounces Golden syrup

12 ounces Puff pastry

1 Egg

pint Clotted cream

4 lrgs Cooking apples, peeled and cored

teaspoon Ground cinnamon

teaspoon Mixed spice

1 ounce Caster sugar

2 tablespoons Brown sugar for the apples

1 Lemon, juice of

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 400F. Roll the pastry out to a thickness of 1/4".

Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and, using a 4" round cutter, cut out 9 circles from the pastry. Prick each on both sides several times with a fork and then refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Whisk the egg. Stew the apples with the lemon juice and a knob of butter until they are soft but not too mushy, and at the end of cooking add the brown sugar, mixed spice and cinnamon.

Now make a caramel sauce by melting together the brown sugar, butter and golden syrup in a pan, stirring over a low heat until dissolved and amalgamated.

Remove the pastry rounds from the fridge and brush the surfaces with whisked egg. Sprinkle caster sugar on top of the rounds and bake for about 18 minutes, until puffy and golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool, then cut each round in half horizontally using a serrated knife.

Set the tops aside. Place one round on a dessert plate and spoon on a dollop of stewed apple then a spoon of cream. Put another half round on top, then add more apple and cream. Finish with another round as a lid.

When you have made all the desserts, garnish with the caramel sauce and sprigs of mint if liked.