• Set a blast chiller to -40°C.
• Fill and preheat a water bath to 50°C.
• Preheat turbo oven to 150°C.
• Preheat under bench oven to 160°C.
• Set combi oven to 120°C, dry heat.
• Set dehydrator to 38°C.

Caramel

• Wrap the fennel seeds in a piece of muslin cloth and secure inside with a string. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine pectin and 50g of the sugar, mix well and set aside.
• Place a large frypan over medium heat and sprinkle a thin, even layer of some of the remaining sugar over the base. As the sugar starts to melt and colour, swirl the pan gently. Add another layer of sugar and continue repeating until all the sugar has melted and turned a dark golden copper colour.
• Gradually add diced butter to the caramel, whisking it well to emulsify butter after each addition.
• Remove frypan from the heat and gradually add the apple juice, whisking until well combined.
• Return frypan to high heat and bring mixture to the boil.
• Add the pectin mixture, fennel parcel and verjus and whisk through to dissolve. Remove frypan from the heat and set aside until caramel cools slightly.

Puff Pastry

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter (A) and flour (A) and beat with the paddle attachment until just combined.
• Place 390g of the mixture between two sheets of baking paper that are approximately 30cm x 30cm. Use a rolling pin to roll into a 18cm x 18cm square sheet and approximately 8mm thick. Place in the fridge until chilled and set. Discard remaining mixture.
• In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter (B) and white vinegar and melt together.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine flour (B), salt and butter mixture and mix on medium speed with the dough hook attachment until a smooth ball of dough forms.
• Place 468g of dough between two sheets of baking paper that are approximately 40cm x 40cm. Use a rolling pin to roll dough into a 30cm x 30cm square. Place in the fridge for approximately 15 minutes or until chilled. Discard remaining dough.

Poached Apples

• Peel and core the apples and place in a medium saucepan.
• Remove fennel parcel from the caramel and discard.
• Pour 1kg of caramel over the apples then cover with a cartouche and a lid to cover.
• Place the saucepan on the induction on low heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for approximately 50 – 60 minutes or until tender, holding the caramel at approximately 95°C, turning the apples every 10 – 15 minutes.

Vanilla Biscuits

• In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar and beat with the paddle attachment until light and creamy.
• Reduce the speed and gradually add the yolk, beating until combined, scraping the bowl as required.
• In a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder and vanilla.
• Gradually add dry ingredients to the mixer, briefly beating after each addition until just combined.
• Shape dough into a disc then wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to rest for at least 1 hour.

Puff Pastry (continued)

• When chilled, place the butter sheet diagonally on top of the dough and fold the edges over to cover and enclose the butter. Pinch the seams to seal the dough.
• Lightly flour the bench and the dough then roll with a rolling pin using even pressure to a rectangle approximately 20cm x 40cm.
• First Book Fold – Lay the rolled dough horizontally to the bench. Fold both outside edges into the middle. Brush any excess flour off the surface then fold once more in half. Cover in cling film and place in the fridge for 45 minutes to rest.

Vanilla Ice Cream

• In a medium saucepan, combine milk, vanilla beans and coffee bean. Place the saucepan over medium heat and warm to 90°C. Remove saucepan from the heat and set aside on the bench to cool to 52°C.
• Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine sugar and yolks and whisk well.
• Gradually add sugar/yolk mixture into the 52°C infused milk, whisking continuously.
• Add the skimmed milk powder and cream.
• Pour into the jug of a Thermomix with the butterfly paddle attached. Warm to 70°C, speed 2 for 14 minutes.
• Meanwhile, half fill a large bowl with iced water.
• Transfer the ice cream mixture into a medium bowl, place over the bowl of iced water and stir until temperature drops to 5°C. Transfer to fridge to keep cool.
• Place a small plastic gastronorm tray in the freezer to chill.

Crystalised Rose Petals 

• Place caster sugar in a small bowl.
• In the canister of a stick blender, combine egg white, acacia gum and rosewater. Blend to fully combine.
• One at a time, place rose petal in your palm and use your finger to gently coat both sides with the egg white mixture.
• Gently cover the rose petal in sugar, shaking excess sugar back into the bowl. Repeat until you have at least 3 petals coated.
• Place the petals onto a dehydrator tray and place in the dehydrator for approximately 2 hours to dry out and crystalise.

Poached Apples (continued)

• Remove the apples from the saucepan and transfer to a tray lined with baking paper and place in the blast freezer to chill.
• Pass the poaching caramel through a fine sieve into a medium bowl and place in the blast freezer until cold.

Puff Pastry (continued)

• Second Book Fold - Very lightly flour the bench, unwrap the dough and place vertically laying down on the bench with the shortest end facing you. Very lightly flour the top of the dough then roll with a rolling pin using even pressure into a rectangle approximately 20cm x 40cm.
• Lay the rolled dough horizontally on the bench then fold both outside edges into the middle. Brush any excess flour off the surface then fold once more in half. Cover in cling film and place in the fridge for 45 minutes to rest.

Vanilla Biscuits (continued)

• Weigh 200g of dough and discard remaining.
• Place the dough between two sheets of baking paper approximately 40cm x 70cm and roll to 2cm thick using a rolling pin.
• Place the dough and the baking papers on the sheeter and starting at setting 15, work the dough down to a 2mm thick sheet, decreasing the settings in intervals of 1.
• Place in the blast freezer for 5 minutes to chill.

Tatin

• Lay a 16cm x 16cm tart square on a cast iron baking tray lined with a silpat.
• Cut the apples in half down the centre of the core then lay the halves cut side down on a chopping board and cut into 2mm thick slices, keeping the apple slices together. Using an offset spatula transfer the slices to the prepared tart square and gently press down on the apples to fan the slices until a 4mm thickness is achieved. Continue until the tart square is filled.
• Gently press down to create a smooth surface. Set remaining apples aside.
• Remove the layer of fat from the surface of the poaching caramel and discard. Pour 200g into a small saucepan and warm slightly. Pour enough of the warmed caramel over the apple slices to cover, approximately 120g. Reserve caramel in saucepan.
• Bake apples in the combi oven at 120°C for approximately 45 minutes to an hour, or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the apples are caramelised, basting with reserved caramel as needed.
• Once cooked, remove the tart square and place the tray of Tatin in the blast freezer for 20 minutes or until apples are cold.

Rose Cream

• Place gelatine in a small bowl of cold water for approximately 5 minutes or until pliable.
• Meanwhile, weigh icing sugar and hung yoghurt together into a medium stainless-steel bowl.
• Drain gelatine from the water and squeeze to remove excess water.
• In a small saucepan, warm cream and add the hydrated gelatine. Stir until completely dissolved and incorporated. Add rosewater and stir to combine.
• Add cream to icing sugar mixture and whisk well until medium peaks
• Transfer to a piping bag with an 8mm nozzle and place in the fridge.

Puff Pastry (continued)

• Third Book Fold - Very lightly flour the bench, unwrap the dough and place vertically laying down on the bench. Very lightly flour the top of the dough then roll with a rolling pin using even pressure into a rectangle approximately 20cm x 40cm.
• Lay the rolled dough horizontally on the bench then fold both outside edges into the middle. Brush any excess flour off the surface then fold once more in half.
• Cover in cling film and place in the fridge for approximately 30 minutes to rest, then remove from fridge and place on bench to come to room temperature ensuring the pastry is not too cold or warm.

Vanilla Biscuits (continued)

• Gently lift the dough sheet onto a cast iron tray and discard the top sheet of baking paper.
• Bake in the turbo oven at 150°C for 10 minutes.
• Whilst hot, use the triangle template (10.5cm x 11.5cm x 5.2cm) to cut at least 1 triangle from the biscuit.
• Turn the turbo oven to 160°C.
• Leave the biscuits and offcuts in place and once the oven reaches the desired temperature return the tray to the oven to bake for approximately a further 5 minutes or until golden all the way through.
• Set the tray of biscuits and offcuts aside to cool completely.
• Turn the turbo oven to 200°C.
• Once cool, place at least 1 biscuit in an airtight container and set aside on the bench. Set aside remaining biscuits. Discard offcuts.

Apple Caramel Gel

• In a small bowl, combine sugar and pectin, mix well to combine and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, combine poaching caramel and water (A) then bring to the boil over high heat.
• Add the pectin mixture. Reduce saucepan to medium heat. Whisk the caramel continuously until it reaches 108°C.
• Meanwhile, lay a piece of baking paper to line the base of a 23cm x 33cm deep tray and place the rectangle stencil (10cm x 20cm x 4mm) on top. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine malic acid and water (B) and mix well.
• Add malic acid mixture to the caramel ensuring to scrape the bowl of all its contents and mix well. Working very quickly, pour mixture into the cavity of the stencil to fill. Place in the fridge until completely set. Discard remaining Gel.

Apple Fluid Gel

• In a medium saucepan, combine water, dried apple and malic acid and bring to the boil over high heat.
• Remove saucepan from the heat and add the bay leaves. Cover the saucepan with a lid and set aside on the bench to infuse for 10 minutes.

Candied Lemon Zest

• Bring two small saucepans of water to the boil.
• Slice the lemon zest peelings into thin julienne.
• In a medium saucepan, combine water, sugar and glucose and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
• Meanwhile, place lemon zest in one saucepan of boiling water to blanch for 1 minute. Pass the water through a sieve, reserving the zest and discarding the water.
• Repeat the blanching and draining process again with the remaining saucepan of boiling water.
• Reduce the saucepan of syrup to low heat, add the blanched lemon zest and simmer for approximately 10 minutes or until soft and transparent.
• Remove skin and pith from lemon and segment until you have at least 3 segments. Cut segments into 1cm pieces. Place into a small bowl, cover with a small damp piece of paper towel and place in the fridge.
• Transfer zest and syrup to an airtight container and set aside on the bench, allowing zest to cool in the syrup.

Arlettes

• Prepare a large aluminium tray with a cast iron baking tray face down and 1 cast iron baking tray facing up. Place in the turbo oven to heat.
• Remove the puff pastry from the fridge and trim to weigh approximately 60g.
• Flatten to approximately 1.5cm thick using a rolling pin.
• Dust both sides of the pastry liberally with icing sugar and place between two sheets of baking paper approximately 40cm x 70cm.
• Place the pastry and the baking papers on the sheeter and starting at setting 15, work the pastry down to setting 1.2, decreasing the settings in intervals of 1. Dust both sides of the pastry liberally with icing sugar between adjusting settings. Every few rolls, flip the pastry so it rolls evenly into a rectangle shape.
• When the pastry is paper thin, remove the hot trays from the oven. Sandwich the pastry and both pieces of baking paper between the two hot cast iron trays.
• Bake in the turbo oven at 200°C for approximately 6 - 9 minutes or until pastry is golden and shiny.
• Remove the top tray and discard top sheet of baking paper.
• Whilst hot, use the triangle template (10.5cm x 11.5cm x 5.2cm) to cut at least 2 triangles from the pastry.
• Set aside to cool on the bench then place cut Arlettes into a container with silica gel, separating the layers with baking paper and set aside on the bench.

Apple Fluid Gel (continued)

• Pass the fluid gel mixture through a fine sieve into a medium stainless-steel bowl. Pour 900g into the jug of a Thermomix. Reserve remaining liquid.
• Warm the liquid to 105°C whilst processing on speed 4.
• Add the gellan F and process for 2 minutes on speed 5.5 at 110°C. Scrape the sides of the jug if required and process for a further minute.
• Meanwhile, half fill a large bowl with iced water.
• Weigh the calcium and malic acid together into a small glass pinch bowl then sprinkle into the thermomix and process for 10 seconds on speed 5.5.
• Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. Place the bowl over the iced water and set aside until cooled completely.
• Cut the gel into large pieces with a small offset spatula and place in a clean Thermomix jug. Blend on speed 5.5 for approximately 2 minutes, scrape the inside to combine and process for a further minute until smooth, adding reserved liquid if required.
• Pass gel through a fine chinois into a half deep gastronorm tray and place in a commercial cryovac machine. Under full pressure, close the lid and allow gel to bubble without overflowing. Repeat approximately 5 times or until the mixture is clear.
• Transfer gel to a piping bag, tie the end to seal and store in the fridge.

Crumble Topping Elements

• To make the Almond Praline, spread almonds evenly over a baking tray and bake at 160°C for approximately 20 minutes tossing almonds every 5 minutes, until a dark golden colour. Set almonds aside on the bench to cool.
• For the Brown Butter, place butter in a small saucepan and gently melt over medium heat, whisking continuously until butter is foaming and smells nutty and is brown. Pass brown butter through a small superbag into a small stainless-steel bowl, let cool slightly then transfer to a 18cm x 23cm vacuum bag and use a cryovac machine to seal the bag. Place in the water bath to keep warm.
• To make the Vanilla Salt, in a small airtight container, combine salt and vanilla powder and shake well to combine.
• To make the Crystallised Fennel Seeds, place fennel in a small frying pan and toast over medium-high heat, stirring regularly until golden. Transfer fennel to a small bowl and set aside on the bench. Return the same pan to high heat. Sprinkle sugar evenly over the base on the pan and allow to melt and caramelise. Add the toasted fennel and stir to coat. Working quickly, transfer coated fennel to a silpat mat and quickly cover with another silpat mat. Use a rolling pin to roll the mixture flat and set aside on the bench to cool.
• To finish the Almond Praline, place almonds in the jug of a Thermomix and process to form a liquid paste, scraping the sides as needed. Transfer praline into a 18cm x 23cm vacuum bag and use a cryovac machine to seal the bag. Place in the water bath to keep warm.

Apple Caramel Gel (continued)

• Use the triangle template (10.5cm x 11.5cm x 5.2cm) to cut at least 1 triangle from the Gel. Lift cut triangle onto a piece of baking paper and place into an airtight container. Store in the fridge.
• Set aside remaining Gel.

Tatin (continued)

• Remove the apples from the blast freezer. Carefully invert sliced apples onto a chopping board lined with baking paper. Carefully remove the silpat.
• Use the triangle template (10.5cm x 11.5cm x 5.2cm) to cut at least 1 triangle from the Tatin. Lift cut triangle onto a piece of baking paper and place into an airtight container. Store in the fridge.

Candied Lemon Zest (continued)

• Strain the zest through a small sieve, discarding the syrup. Place zest into an airtight container and set aside on the bench.

Vanilla Ice Cream (continued)

• Pass the Ice Cream mixture through a fine sieve into a medium bowl.
• Add the yoghurt and use a stick blender to combine well.
• Transfer 600ml to a large measuring jug, discarding remaining. Place in the fridge.

Crumble Topping (continued)

• Place Crystalised Fennel Seeds in a 18cm x 23cm vacuum bag and use a rolling pin to lightly crush. Set aside on the bench.
• Remove the Almond Praline and Brown Butter from the water bath.
• In a medium bowl, combine Almond Praline, Brown Butter and Vanilla Salt and mix well. Add feuilletine and 15g crushed Crystallised Fennel Seeds and stir to coat. Place 35g of Crumble in a small bowl, set aside remaining.
• Add spray-dried apple to the bowl of crumble mixture and stir to combine. Transfer to an airtight container and set aside on the bench.

Garnish 

• Pick at least 4 fennel frond clusters and place in an airtight container covered with damp paper towel. Store in the fridge.
• Cut fennel stems and discard, then finely slice on the cut side using a mandolin.
• Trim the slices at the tip to 4cm until you have at least 4 pieces and place in a 18cm x 23cm vacuum bag. Pour in the apple juice and using the cryovac machine, remove the air and seal the bag. Store in the fridge.
• Remove Crystalised Rose Petals from the dehydrator and place in a plastic container with no lid. Set aside on the bench.

Vanilla Ice Cream (continued)

• Pour Ice Cream mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Use the paddle attachment to beat mixture on low speed whilst carefully pouring approximately 750ml of liquid nitrogen into the bowl to freeze the liquid to ice cream consistency.
• Beat the ice cream for 2 minutes on medium speed to aerate.
• Transfer Ice Cream to the chilled small plastic gastronorm, cover with go-between and place in the freezer.

To Plate

• Place a Vanilla Biscuit on a chopping board.
• Place the Apple Caramel Gel on top.
• Place the Tatin on top.
• Place 1 Arlette on top.
• Cut the end of the piping bag to expose the tip of the nozzle of the Rose Cream and pipe dollops on top of the Arlette to cover.
• Place the second Arlette on the chopping board. Cut the end of the Apple Fluid Gel piping bag approximately 1.5cm from the pointed end then carefully and thinly pipe and spread the Gel on the top side. Scatter Crumble Topping over to cover.
• Place Crumble covered Arlette on top of the stack, crumble side up.
• Place the assembled Tart off centre on the serving plate with the pointed end facing the right-hand side of the plate.
• Pipe a thin line of Apple Fluid Gel along the open side of the plate, closest to you, approximately 15cm long.
• Arrange 4 small lemon segments along the gel strip.
• Twist 4 pieces of the shaved fennel and place along the gel strip.
• Arrange 4 of each, fennel fronds and Candied Lemon Zest strips along the length of the Gel.
• Break 1 Crystalised Rose Petal into 6 smaller pieces and place 3 pieces evenly spaced along the gel strip. Break the 3 remaining pieces in half then place on top of the Tart.
• Place approximately 1 teaspoon of Crumble Topping to the left-hand side of the built-up Tart.
• Place a rocher of Vanilla Ice Cream onto a piece of chux to remove any melted Ice Cream then place on top of the Crumble.