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1
Make the Syrup
5 Mins • Hands On
Medium heat, about 100°C (212°F) to dissolve
Put 400 ml water, 120 g sugar, the lemon juice and the vanilla in a wide saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves completely, then bring to a gentle simmer. The syrup should be clear and lightly lemony, not thick.
Do not let the syrup boil hard — a rolling boil makes it reduce too fast and turns the apples mushy.
Done when: Sugar fully dissolved, syrup clear and just simmering with small bubbles.
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2
Poach the Apples
20 Mins • Hands On
Gentle simmer, about 90°C (194°F)
Lower the 4 cored apples into the simmering syrup in a single layer, spooning syrup over the tops. Cover and poach at a gentle simmer for 18–20 minutes, turning once halfway, until a knife slides into the flesh with slight resistance. The apples must stay whole and hold their shape.
Keep the heat low — the syrup should shiver, not bubble hard. If an apple floats, weigh it down with a small plate.
Done when: A thin knife enters easily but the apple still holds its round shape; it should not split or collapse.
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3
Mix and Spoon in the Filling
5 Mins • Hands On
Warm, about 60°C (140°F)
Lift the apples out with a slotted spoon and set them on a plate. Mix the ground walnuts with 30 g sugar, the cinnamon and the beaten egg white. Spoon the filling into each apple's hollow, pressing it in gently and mounding it slightly above the top.
Fill the apples while they are still warm — the filling settles in and the egg white sets lightly from the residual heat.
Done when: Each hollow is full, the filling mounded just above the rim and holding together.
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4
Chill in the Syrup
2 Hours • Hands Off
Fridge, about 4°C (39°F)
Return the filled apples to the syrup in a shallow dish, spooning syrup over each one. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight — the apples soak up the syrup and firm up, and the flavours settle. This is the step that makes tufahije taste like tufahije.
Chill them in the syrup, not dry — dry apples go dull and the filling dries out.
Done when: Apples cold all the way through, glossy with syrup, firm enough to lift with a spoon.
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5
Whip the Cream and Serve
5 Mins • Hands On
Cold, about 4°C (39°F)
Whip the cold cream to soft peaks — it should hold a dollop, not stand in stiff points. Lift one chilled apple into each serving bowl, spoon over 2–3 tablespoons of syrup, and top with a generous dollop of whipped cream. Serve cold, with a spoon.
Whip the cream at the last minute; cream whipped hours ahead weeps and goes flat.
Done when: Cream in soft, glossy peaks; apple cold, glossy, and sitting in a little pool of syrup.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the tufahije cold, one apple per bowl in its syrup with whipped cream on top — and put the pot of extra syrup on the table, because someone always wants more. Allow at least 2 hours of chilling beyond the 45 minutes of active cooking.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
1h 40m
Spain
Vietnam