This really just came about when I was thinking about a dessert for a family friend. I saw a very specific mirror glaze cake, that used a disk of passionfruit gelee or jam, and I thought about what other fruits I can do the same technique with. Since it was during the holidays, I wanted to do something festive and an homage to both the fall and winter. So that’s where the initial idea of apple pie, and specifically at that, tarte tatin, came about.

If you do not watch Masterchef UK, you might not necessarily know what that is; it is traditionally a caramelized apple tart that is baked upside down, with the apples on the bottom and a puff pastry crust on top; there were a solid three seasons where everyone on Masterchef UK made this for their required dessert courses, and you could really see the variety, ranging from apple to pear to raspberry. But in this case, I opted for apples.

The idea of seeing cubes of glazed apples, captured in a disk of caramel, it sounded pretty awesome. I decided to include a baked phyllo dough element, because I needed there to be a puff pastry-type of texture to replicate the crunchy, flaky pastry. Well, that and I can make phyllo dough from scratch and a lot faster than I could puff pastry. So overall, the layers of the dessert are as follows: brown butter-apple chiffon cake, vanilla bavarian cream, caramelized apple gelee, caramelized white chocolate mirror glaze, and cinnamon sugar-dusted phyllo.

For the chiffon:
2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
4 egg whites
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, browned
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
a pinch of salt
2 tablespoons apple butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whip egg whites with half of the sugar into stiff peaks. Whip the apple butter, brown butter, remaining sugar, and yolks until they reach a pale, glossy stage. Sift dry ingredient. Fold together. Spread onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Cool completely before unmolding.

For the bavarian:
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons water
1 1/4 teaspoons gelatin powder + 1 tablespoon water
2/3 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of salt

Bloom gelatin in 1 tablespoon of water. Melt into remaining water and bring to a simmer. Whip with egg yolks and sugar and continue mixing over heat until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain. Allow the mixture to cool at room temperature. Whip the cream with vanilla and salt. Fold together.

For the gelee:
3 tablespoons agar agar powder
2 fuji apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons milk + more as needed
a pinch of salt

In a pan, melt down the butter. Saute apples. In a pot, melt down sugar with salt until it becomes golden. Take off heat and slowly add in the milk and mixing until the sugar fully melts into the milk. Mix in the agar agar and bring to a simmer until the agar is melted into the milk as well. Finally, add in the apples. Continue to reduce until the mixture is coating the apples and most of the liquid is reduced. Pour into a 5 inch ring mold and refrigerate until the mixture is completely set.

For the mirror glaze:
1 cup white chocolate
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon corn syrup
2 tablespoons milk
1 packet gelatin powder + 2 tablespoons cold water

Bloom gelatin in water. Bring water, sugar, and corn syrup to a simmer. Add in the gelatin. Allow the mixture to turn gold then add in the milk. Melt white chocolate over direct heat, on a low flame, stirring constantly until the mixture begins to brown. Combine everything together and strain. Warm up mixture when it comes time to assemble the cake.

For the phyllo:
1 cup all-purpose flour + more for rolling
1/3 cup water
a pinch of salt
melted butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine flour and water. Separate dough into eight even balls. Roll out reach dough ball into flat disks. Brush the butter and dust with salt, cinnamon, and sugar for six of the eight disks. Layer into two stacks and roll out as much as possible. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes, or until the dough is browned. Once the dough is cooled, break into smaller shards.

For assembly:
Line a 6 inch ring mold. Place the gelee at the very bottom. Then pour on the bavarian. Press a 5 inch round of the cake into the top of the cake. Freeze for at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove the ring mold. Pour the mirror glaze along the edges of the cake, keeping a solid 4 inches of the gelee exposed. Remove the excess using a wet offset spatula. Garnish with phyllo and keep chilled until it is time to serve.