Marzipan-filled baked apples

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC, gas mark 6. Cut a slice off the top of each apple, retaining the stalk. These slices will be the lids. Remove the cores from the apples using a small knife, without going right through the bottom of each one, then make more space for the stuffing by removing
a bit more flesh.

2. Slide the point of a knife round the middle of each apple – this helps to stop them bursting but you need to keep an eye on them to make sure they aren’t baking for too long. Put the apples into a gratin dish in which they fit snugly – they will fall over if they’re not sitting up against each other.

3. Put 21/2 tbsp of the jelly into a saucepan and gently heat. Add the dried fruit, lemon and spices. Let the fruit sit in the jelly off the heat for a while. It will plump up and the jelly will become firm again.

4. Mash the rum into the marzipan using a fork. Put a little butter into the cavity of each apple, then some of the marzipan, then the spiced jelly. Add the lids which you removed earlier. Heat the wine to just under boiling in a small saucepan, add the sugar and pour it round the apples.

5. Bake the prepped apples for 35-45 minutes, basting every so often, until the apples are soft but still keep their shape. Strain the cooking juices off into a small saucepan and add the rest of the jelly. Heat so that the jelly melts, then spoon this over the apples. Leave to cool a little – the apple flesh will be very hot – then mix the soured cream with enough icing sugar to taste and serve it alongside.