Ingredients
Apples
- 6firm apples, all the same size
Poaching syrup
- 1 litrewater
- 300 gsugar
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1cinnamon stick
- 3cloves
Walnut filling
- 200 gwalnuts, finely ground
- 80 gsugar
- 1egg white, lightly beaten
- 1 tspvanilla
- a splash of rum, optional
To finish
- 300 mldouble cream, whipped
- a few whole walnut halves
- a little of the syrup, reduced
Equipment
- an apple corer
- a wide pan
To serve
- chilled, in a glass bowl with syrup
Directions
- Use a firm apple that holds its shape when cooked. A cooking apple like Bramley disintegrates within minutes, which is exactly wrong. Leave the base intact so the apple holds the filling, and take out the core and pips cleanly.
- Drop the peeled apples straight into water with lemon juice. Peeled apples brown within minutes, and the acidulated water prevents it. Bring the water, sugar, lemon, cinnamon and cloves to a simmer. Keep it at the barest simmer with no more than an occasional bubble. Turn them carefully with two spoons so they cook evenly.
- Poach them for 15 to 25 minutes depending on the apple. Now the test, which needs judgement. Take them out slightly underdone, since they continue to soften as they cool in the syrup. Lift them out very carefully with a slotted spoon and stand them on a tray to cool. Let them cool completely before filling.
- Grind the walnuts finely and mix them with the sugar, egg white, vanilla and rum. The egg white binds the walnuts into a paste that holds together in the cavity, and dry ground nuts simply fall out. Pack it in properly so the apple is full right down to the base. Boil the remaining syrup until it has reduced by about half and thickened slightly.
- Reduce it to a light syrup rather than a heavy one, since it should pool around the apple rather than set around it. Strain out the spices and let it cool. Now assemble, once everything is cold. Stand each apple in a glass bowl or a deep dish and spoon the cooled syrup around it. Now chill everything for at least 4 hours.
- Whip the cream to firm peaks and pipe or spoon a generous mound on top of each apple. Add the cream shortly before serving, since it weeps if it sits on a wet apple for hours. Top each with a whole walnut half.
- Serve it chilled, with a spoon, and eat it by cutting down through apple, filling and cream together. It keeps two days refrigerated without the cream.
Technique
- It is served in a glass bowl so the syrup and the whole apple show.
- Bosnian slastičarne serve it alongside baklava and šampita.
- The cream is added shortly before serving.
Substitutions
- Any firm eating apple that holds its shape.
- Ground almonds in place of some of the walnuts.
Variations
- With a splash of rum in the filling.
- With raisins mixed into the walnuts.
- Made with quince instead of apple.
History
Poached apple stuffed with walnuts and topped with cream; the name comes from Arabic tuffah, apple, through Ottoman Turkish.
Frequently asked questions
What is Tufahija?
Tufahija is a dessert from Bosnia and Herzegovina: poached apple stuffed with walnuts, topped with whipped cream. Poached apple stuffed with walnuts and topped with cream; the name comes from Arabic tuffah, apple, through Ottoman Turkish.
How long does Tufahija take to make?
Tufahija takes 30 min plus 4 hr chilling of preparation and 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Tufahija?
Yes, within limits. Any firm eating apple that holds its shape. Ground almonds in place of some of the walnuts.
What is the most important thing to get right in Tufahija?
Reduce it to a light syrup rather than a heavy one, since it should pool around the apple rather than set around it. Strain out the spices and let it cool. Now assemble, once everything is cold. Stand each apple in a glass bowl or a deep dish and spoon the cooled syrup around it. Now chill everything for at least 4 hours.
