Core and cut apples in large dice (leave skin on). Roast on a lined baking sheet in the oven at 350°F for 20 minutes, until tender.

To make the caramel, place granulated sugar and water in a saucepot over medium heat. Do not stir. Once it turns a dark amber color, remove from heat and carefully and slowly add the cream, whisking constantly. Add the brandy, salt, butter and cinnamon and whisk to combine.

Pour caramel into a blender with the roasted apples and purée until smooth. Strain through a mesh sieve into a bowl, measure 2 cups and set aside.

To make the custard, preheat oven to 300°F. In a medium heatproof bowl, whisk the egg yolks with ½ cup brown sugar until thoroughly combined. In a saucepot, add 2 cups caramel apple purée, cream, vanilla, salt and ¼ cup brown sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring regularly. Once the cream mixture comes to a boil, remove from heat and slowly stream ¼ cup of the mixture into the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. This is called tempering your eggs. Then add the remaining cream and whisk to fully combine. Strain the custard through a mesh sieve.

Place 4 to 6 heat-proof ramekins into a deep baking dish. Pour the custard into the ramekins, filling almost to the top. Pour steaming hot water into the baking dish halfway up the sides of the ramekins to provide a water bath for the custard. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove from oven and water bath, place on a small tray or baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and cool in the refrigerator overnight.

Prior to serving, sprinkle each custard with granulated or turbinado sugar to cover and heat with a kitchen blowtorch, caramelizing the sugar to desired color. If you don’t have a kitchen torch, you can place under the broiler for about 30 seconds (watch carefully). Garnish with fresh thinly sliced apples and a dusting of cinnamon and enjoy!