Recipe from The Farmer’s Daughter Bakes by Kelsey Siemens (Page Street Publishing) – shared with permission
Makes 12rose tarts
Ingredients
Chai Spice Blend
1tbsp8g ground cinnamon
1tbsp5g ground ginger
1tspground cardamom
1/2tspground cloves
1/2tspground nutmeg
Tarts
4medium tart baking apples, Kelsey recommends Pink Lady
2sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed 2 hours before use
3/4cup170g unsalted butter, softened, divided
1/2cup100g granulated sugar)
1/2tbsp4g chai spice blend, divided
Powdered sugar, for serving
Instructions
To make the chai spice blend, in a small bowl, mix together cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a muffin tin with butter or cooking spray and set aside. Heat a large, wide saucepan filled with several inches of water over medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Cut each apple in half and carefully carve out the core with a pairing knife. Place the flat aide down, and starting at the stem’s edge, slice the apple horizontally into the thinnest slices you can manage. Sine the apple slices will be rolled up in the pastry, the thinner the better. Work quickly to avoiding browning and move all the apple slices into the pot of simmering water. Cook for 2 – 4 minutes or until the apples bend instead of breaking when you curve them into a circle. Remove from the heat, carefully straining and place onto a towel to dry.
To make the tart, keep one sheet of puff pastry in the fridge as you start to work with the other. Roll out one sheet of puff pastry to a 12 x 10 inch rectangle, leaving it on the the parchment it comes on for easy transfer. With the 12-inch side closest to you, use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut 6 equal strips, each 2 inches wide. Spread 1/4 cup of softened butter onto the entire sheet in a thin layer.
In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 tablespoon of chai spice and sugar and sprinkle a generous amount over the softened butter.
Start the first strip with the thinnest apple slice, as it will form the middle of the rose and will need to be the most flexible. Place the apple about halfway down the puff pastry strip with the skin side poking up over the dough.
Place a second apple slice over the first, overlapping about a quarter of a slice. Repeat until you reach the end of the dough.
Carefully fold the half of the strip without apple slices on it over top of the apples.
Melt 1/4 cup of butter. Once the dough has been folded up, brush the edge with some melted butter.
Roll the strip up as tightly as you can.
Press the end of the strip firmly to the rest of the dough and transfer the rose to the prepared muffin tin. Repeat with the remaining 5 strips of dough.
Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden. Rotate the muffin tin halfway through baking and place a sheet of aluminum foil on top if the apples are cooking too quickly. Cool on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes, and carefully remove roses from muffin tin. Top with powdered sugar and serve. The apple tarts are best served the first day.