Tufahije

Step 1: Put 4 ¼ cups water, 10 ½ oz sugar and 1 lemon juice, plus the squeezed halves, in a wide pan just big enough to hold the apples in one layer. Stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a simmer.

Step 2: Peel 6 firm tart apples and remove the cores with an apple corer, making a neat tunnel about 2 cm wide but keeping the apples whole. Drop each into the syrup as you go so it doesn't brown.

Step 3: Poach over a low heat with the syrup barely trembling, turning the apples once, until a thin skewer slides in with only slight resistance, 8–12 minutes. They should look translucent at the edges but hold their shape. Lift them onto a deep dish.

Step 4: Spoon 4 tbsp of the poaching syrup into a small pan with 5 ½ oz walnuts and 1 ⅜ oz sugar and stir over a low heat for 2–3 minutes into a thick, sticky paste.

Step 5: Pack the walnut paste into the apple holes, letting a little mound sit on top. Boil the remaining syrup over a high heat until reduced by half and slightly syrupy, about 8 minutes, then pour it around the apples and leave to cool, basting now and then.

Step 6: Chill for at least 1 hour. To serve, whip 1 cup whipping cream to soft peaks, spoon a generous cap over each apple and top each with one of the 6 cocktail or sour cherries if you like. Serve in glasses or bowls with a little syrup.