½ cup sugar
½ cup water
a star anise
6 or 8 cloves
small, tart apples

Combine the sugar, water and spices in a small sauce pan, and bring to a boil for several minutes to form a syrup.

Sheer the apples crosswise on a mandoline or the broad cutter of a grater into thin slices. The seeds will fall out of their own, leaving a pretty star shaped void at the center of each slice. Dip each slice lightly into the syrup, and either array them on a nonstick sheet of Silpat on a cookie tin in a 200° oven, or on the perforated shelves of a dedicated food dryer. Dry till crisp. Elegant on the tea tray, or eaten out of hand as a snack.