Boil the water and make a cup of tea with the teabags. Use just enough water to cover the bags. Allow to steep for about 5 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°c.
Pour 1/4 cup of the tea into a frypan with a 20cm diameter. Make sure the frypan is oven-proof. Add the sugar and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved.
Increase the heat and bring the sweet tea mix to the boil. Add the maple syrup and simmer for 7 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has darkened and thickened.
Turn off the heat and carefully stir in the butter until it is melted and well combined. Carefully place the apples in the mixture, score side down, to form a layer in the frypan. There may be some overlap.
Roll out your puff pastry and cut out a circle as big at the frypan. My frypan has a lid, so I just use it as a 'cookie cutter' to get the right size. Otherwise, place a plate on the pastry and cut around it. If your puff pastry isn't big enough, combine a couple of pieces of pastry and roll out the dough to 5mm thickness and cut out your round. Place the dough on top of the apples and tuck in the sides. Cut a couple of holes in the top (I cut five in a star shape), and place the frypan in the oven.
Bake for approx. 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden.
Allow to cool for a few minutes before flipping onto a plate. Take care not to lose too much of your syrup when you do.
Serve warm with vanilla ice cream and/or cream.
Notes
If you can't find ginger tea bags, steep some cut up ginger in water for a few minutes. It's great for colds and the flu too!Do not use imitation maple syrup!Place a tray under your frypan when you put it in the oven to catch any drips of caramel and avoid the mess.