Honey Apple & Cheese Plait

Preparation

1. Bake Large Cheese Plait as you normally would, but avoid baking it too crisp.
   Preheat the oven to 360°F, and place the frozen pastry onto a parchment paper-lined baking tray. Bake for 15 - 18 minutes.
2. Once fully baked, top the Cheese Plait with the honey poached apples and homemade granola.
3. Bake in the oven for 3 - 5 mins for the apples and granola to crisp and the flavor to soak into the braids of the pastry.
4. Finish by drizzling honey on top and a dust of cinnamon (optional).
   Chef Tip: Pairs well with honey Greek yogurt. If you choose to save the sauce from the poached apples, once the sauce is cool, in a small bowl, mix 3 tsp. of sauce with 1 cup of Greek yogurt. When the pasty is ready, serve with a dollop of honey Greek yogurt topped with more granola.

Honey Poached Apples

1. Cut a sheet of round parchment paper to fit the inside of the poaching pot. (If you don't have a poaching pot, use a 4-quart stock pot for this recipe.)
2. Peel the apples, then cut them in half from the stem down - keep the stem on if possible. Core and squeeze a little bit of lemon juice over them, set the rest of the lemon juice aside. Place on a plate and set aside.
3. In the 4-quart pot, add the water, honey and juice of the rest of the lemon. Boil on medium heat and stir until the honey is dissolved. Reduce heat to low, add the apples and cover with the round parchment. Simmer for 20 minutes, flipping the apples after 10 minutes. They should be tender when pierced. Use a slotted spoon and set apples aside. After removing the apples, boil the liquid on high for another 2 minutes and then set the sauce aside to cool.
   Chef Tip: Save the sauce and add it on top for more flavor!

Homemade Granola

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Line a half sheet pan (18 x 13 inches) with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Heat the honey, turbinado sugar, oil, sea salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract in a small saucepan. Heat the mixture for 2-3 minutes over medium heat until warm.
3. Add all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle syrup mixture over the dry ingredients. Gently toss until evenly combined.
4. Spread the granola evenly on the sheet pan and gently press it down with a spatula. Bake for 25 minutes, then without stirring, remove the pan and rotate it 180° (so that it will cook evenly from front to back). Bake for 15-20 more minutes until the granola is lightly golden on top. Transfer the pan to a wire baking rack and let it cool completely. If the granola seems a bit loose when it comes out of the oven, don’t worry, it will dry and harden as it cools.