Caramelized Apple Phyllo Crisp Recipe The dramatic garnish is a matter of placing apple chips in descending order and bonding them with powdered sugar in the oven. From James Foran of Silk's San Francisco, CA

Make 8 Servings:

Crisp:

1.9 oz [54 g] light brown sugar

1.75 oz [50 g] granulated sugar

3.7 oz [105 g] all-purpose flour

.75 oz [21 g] quick-cooking oats

1.25 oz [35 g] hazelnuts, toasted and skinned

1/4 tsp [2 g] salt

4 oz [113 g] unsalted butter, cold and cubed

1. Preheat oven to 325°F [165°C]. In a food processor combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, oats, hazelnuts, and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture has reached a crumbly texture.

2. Spread the mixture evenly onto a half sheet pan and bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until it is light brown. Cool completely, then break it into large pieces.

Caramelized Apples:

8 tart apples, large and firm

8.75 oz [248 g] granulated sugar

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

1 lemon, juiced

1/4 tsp [2 g] salt

3 oz [85 g] unsalted butter

4 liq oz [118 ml] Calvados

1. Peel the apples and cut them into 1/2" [13 mm] thick slices. Toss the apples with the sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt.

2. In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the apple mixture and sauté until the apples are soft and evenly caramelized, turning as infrequently as possible so as to keep the apples intact. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully deglaze it with the Calvados.

Phyllo Shells:

3 sheets phyllo dough

2 oz [57 g] unsalted butter, melted

1.5 oz [43 g] honey

1 oz [28 g] hazelnuts, toasted and finely ground

1/4 tsp [2 g] salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°F [175°C]. Brush one sheet of phyllo with butter and drizzle half of the honey over it. Sprinkle with half of the hazelnuts and salt. Place another sheet of phyllo on top, brush it with butter, and repeat the process with the remaining honey, hazelnuts, and salt. Top with the third sheet of phyllo. Cover the dough with a clean, dry cloth and flatten it with a rolling pin.

2. Cut the dough crosswise into 3/4" [19 mm] strips. Wrap each strip around a buttered ring mold and fasten the end with a drop of water. Bake seam side down for 8 to 12 minutes or until light brown. Remove the rings immediately and cool.

Red Wine-Dried Cherry Sauce:

10 liq oz [296 ml] Merlot wine

1 strip orange zest

2 Tbs [30 ml] orange juice

1/4 cinnamon stick

1.3 oz [37 g] granulated sugar

1 Tbs [21 g] chestnut honey

1/2 vanilla bean, scraped

1.75 oz [50 g] dried cherries

1. In a saucepan combine all the ingredients except the cherries and reduce the mixture over low heat until syrupy, about one hour.

2. Strain the syrup and return it to the pan. Add the cherries and heat over a low flame for a few more minutes or just until the cherries are soft. Remove the pan from the heat and cool.

Indian Cinnamon Ice Cream:

8 liq oz [237 ml] milk

8 liq oz [237 ml] heavy cream

2 oz [57 g] cassina [Indian cinnamon]

2.6 oz [74 g] egg yolks

3.5 oz [99 g] granulated sugar

1/4 tsp [1 g] vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

1. In a saucepan combine the milk, cream, and cassina and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat, cover it, and let it steep for 30 minutes.

2. Strain the milk mixture to remove the cassina, and return it to a boil. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar and temper them into the milk mixture. Cook gently, stirring, until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. Add the vanilla and salt and cool completely over an ice bath.

3. Process in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Apple Garnish:

2 large firm apples

1.5 oz [43 g] confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat a convection oven to 200°F [95°C]. Slice the apples to about the thickness of a dime and cut a hole from the center of each slice.

2. Dust a silicone baking mat with half of the confectioners' sugar. Arrange the apples in 8 rows of 5 slices of descending size, with adjacent slices overlapping. Dust the tops of the apples with the remaining sugar and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the apples are dry.

Assembly:

1. Drizzle some of the red wine-dried cherry sauce on each dessert plate. Place a phyllo shell in the center. Fill the shell about three-quarters of the way with caramelized apples, packing them in tightly. Fill the shell to the top with crisp.

2. Top the crisp with a quenelle of Indian cinnamon ice cream and an apple garnish.