Apple Hash Napoleon

3 Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup clarified butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar, plus more for garnish
2 cups apple cider

1 pint Apple and Anise ice cream, recipe follows

Preheat convection oven to 275 degrees F.

Cover a sheet pan with a silpat mat or parchment paper. Using a Japanese mandoline, julienne the apple into thin sticks, like potato sticks. Make little nests or haystacks of the sticks on the silpat, about 3 inches in diameter.

Spatter the haystacks with melted clarified butter and douse with powdered sugar from a shaker. Bake in a convection oven until dry and crisp, about 60 to 75 minutes. Or use a fruit dehydrator to dry them out. Store them in an airtight container until ready to serve.

To make the sauce, place the cider in a small saucepan, and bring it to a simmer. Continue cooking until it becomes a thick golden syrup, about 1 hour. Let cool until ready to serve. You can refrigerate it if made the day before.

To serve the dessert, place one apple hash on a dessert plate, top it with a scoop of ice cream, then carefully place another piece of hash on top as a lid. Press down gently. Spoon a "swoosh" of cider reduction on the plate and sprinkle the whole thing with powdered sugar.

Apple and Anise Ice Cream

2 cups half-and-half
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 pieces star anise
8 large egg yolks
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup homemade applesauce

Put a large mixing bowl in the freezer to chill.

In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the half-and-half, cream, vanilla bean, and star anise to a simmer, stirring occasionally to make sure the mixture doesn?t burn or stick to the bottom of the pan.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. When the cream mixture reaches a fast simmer turn it off, do not let it boil!

In a thin stream, whisk half of it into the egg yolk mixture. Then pour the egg-cream mixture into the saucepan containing the rest of the cream mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. At 160 degrees F, the mixture will give off a puff of steam. When the mixture reaches 180 degrees, it will be thickened and creamy, like eggnog. If you don?t have a thermometer, test it by dipping a wooden spoon into the mixture. Run your finger down the back of the spoon. If the stripe remains clear, the mixture is ready, if the edges blur, it is not quite thick enough yet. When it is ready, quickly remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, remove the bowl from the freezer, put 4 handfuls of ice cubes in the bottom, and add cold water to cover. Rest a smaller bowl in the ice water.

Strain the cream mixture through a fine sieve to remove the vanilla bean pieces and star anise, into a smaller bowl. Stir in the homemade applesauce and chill 3 hours, then freeze according to the directions for your ice cream maker.

Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, "American Brasserie? by Gale Gand, Rick Tramonto, Julia Moskin, MacMillian, Publishers, 1997

Baked Apples

6 large red baking apples like Rome Beauty, Cortland, or Gala
Juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 packed tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 cup dried currants
1/4 cup broken walnut pieces, toasted
Six 3-inch whole cinnamon sticks
1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 cup dark rum, cider, or water
Serving suggestions: Whipped cream, or vanilla or cinnamon ice cream

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Slice off about 1/4-inch of the top of each apple. (The apple tops are perfect for snacking.) Scoop out the seeds and core of the apple with a melon-baller to make a pocket. Peel off about a 1/2-inch band of the apple's skin along the upper half of the apple with a vegetable peeler. Brush the peeled part and the interior of the apple with lemon juice.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the butter, lemon zest, and sugar. Add the currants and nuts. Place some of the butter mixture and a cinnamon stick in each of the apples. Place the apples in an ovenproof baking dish just large enough to hold the apples upright. Pour in the cider and rum, bake until the apple is tender, about 30 minutes. Baste the apples with the cider/rum mixture with a bulb baster, 2 or 3 times, during baking.

Serve warm or at room temperature with softly whipped cream or vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.