Can you guess which fruit is the star of these sinful luxe desserts by Hong Kong chefs?

Elevating the humble apple into a spectacular dessert is what two Hong Kong chefs have accomplished with flair.

“Everyone is familiar with apples and almost everyone has their own preference of a good apple pie or apple slice, whether sweet, sour or crunchy with glaze,” says pastry chef Gary Wong of Ignis by Linx.

“Working with apples is interesting because of their versatility; they can be cooked or served raw. Their texture can be soft or crunchy, sweet or sour, a protagonist or a complementary flavour. There are so many possibilities,” says the Canadian native, who studied in culinary school in Vancouver before joining some innovative kitchens in London. He came to Hong Kong in 2013 and worked in exciting eateries such as Mercato.

Wong loves to give a modern twist to classic dishes in patisserie and desserts. He takes a classic ingredient to create baked apple layers, a dessert with 33 per cent chocolate cream and orange tonka caramel. The fruit is peeled in long strips and layered into a hollow dome, then baked and glazed with orange tonka caramel. The dome is filled with caramel apple and whipped cream, and served with caramelised puff pastry, milk chocolate cream and hazelnut.

Wong’s go-to sweet treat is rum baba or the authentic Italian sfogliatella.

Pierre at the Mandarin Oriental is famous for creative desserts, and for Le French May this year, pastry chef Alexandre Brusquet has been inspired by the Loire Valley, the highlighted region in this year’s cultural event in Hong Kong and famous for its excellent apples and its tarte Tatin. Brusquet’s apple dessert features puff pastry and caramelised apples with Chinon wine.