Now and then, I come across a recipe that catches my eye. I love to add my spin on any new recipe. It just so happens it’s Steve’s birthday today, so I thought I’d surprise him with these Red Apple Roses. 

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Inactive prep time: 1 hour (to defrost pastry)
Cook Time: 35 to 40 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Yields: 2 servings (6 roses)
Equipment: cupcake pan, chef’s knife, pastry brush

Ingredients:
2 Red and Delicious apples sliced as thinly as possible (1/16th of an inch)
1/2 cup of apricot preserves
1 lemon, juiced
4 cups plus 1 tablespoon of water, 1 tablespoon for the apricot preserves (for red roses, substitute plum jam)
1 sheet of thawed Puff Pastry cut into 6 equal strips
1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon of Turbinado sugar
all-purpose flour
Garnishes:
1 tablespoon of powdered sugar
6 sprigs of fresh mint

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Prepare the apples.
Start by removing the core. Slice two Red Delicious apples thin. In a small bowl filled halfway with water, add the juice of one lemon. Place the sliced apples in the lemon water and microwave for 3-4 minutes until soft and pliable. Using a mesh strainer, drain off all the water. Return the apples to the bowl and set aside.

Prepare the jam.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, add the apricot preserves and 1 tablespoon of water. Stir together and microwave for 30 seconds. Mix with a spoon until the preserves have a thick syrup-like consistency. I also have some ground cinnamon for the apples. It adds warm sweetness to the apples.

Prepare the dough.
Flour your cutting board or marble surface. Roll the pastry out until it’s half the thickness (almost double in length), and the creases are smooth. Cut into 6 equal strips crosswise, approximately 2 inches wide.

Assemble the apples.
Lay the pastry strips down and brush the jam over each one. Place the apple slices along the top half of each strip. Laid out in an overlapping style. Evenly sprinkle the ground cinnamon over each strip. Fold up the bottom half of the strip, then carefully roll up each one until you have formed a rose.

Brush the apricot preserves over the pastry dough, and lay the apple slices where they hang over the edge of the pastry. Sprinkle a pinch of ground cinnamon over each apple. Grab one end of the dough and roll up the pastry very gently.

Place the roses in buttered, greased muffin tins and lightly dust each one with a little Turbinado sugar. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Brush the tops of the roses with the remaining apricot jam. The apricot jam gives the roses a beautiful shine. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Once the roses have cooled, arrange them on a beautiful dessert plate. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and dust with a little powdered sugar.

There you have it, my Apple Roses.

Notes:
1) If you prefer red roses, substitute a plum jam.

2) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through a preferred online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/