Turkish Delight

The Turkish Delight is finished at last and it was certainly worth the effort.  The only worry now is if it will last until the weekend before being consumed.  I used my home-made rose water to colour it – I think it turned out really well!

Turkish Delight

Anywho, I promised the recipe and so forth so here it is.  The amounts given will make a scant half-kilo and it’s a good amount to start with if you’ve never tried this before.  It’s a little fiddly, but pay attention to temperature and times, and you’ll be fine.

You will need;

• 400g sugar
• 150ml water plus another 175ml water for later
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 50g (about 100ml) cornflour
• 1 drop food colouring (see my earlier post about my hi jinks!)
• 1.5 tsp rose essence or rose water (to taste)

Plus for dusting you’ll need;

• 25g (50ml) extra cornflour
• 50g pure icing sugar (no lumps)

Right.  Now pay attention and here we go…

- Put the sugar, 150ml of water and the lemon juice into a small saucepan and stir together gently over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved.  Bring the syrup to the boil, stop stirring, and turn down the heat so that it is at a simmer and keep it there until it reaches 115C (soft ball stage) – this should take about 25 minutes.  (A cooking thermometer is very useful).  Wash down the walls of the saucepan with a wet pastry brush to prevent the formation of crystals in the syrup.

- 10 minutes after you’ve started the sugar syrup simmering, put the cornflour into a large saucepan, add half the remaining water and stir until there are no lumps.  Add the rest of the water, stir and heat.  You’ll need to keep stirring because the cornflour will thicken suddenly and you need to keep this mix smooth.  A small whisk is perfect.  Heat and stir until the mixture is very thick – about the same as creamy mashed potato.

- When the paste is ready and you’ve reached 115C with the sugar syrup, pour about a quarter of the syrup into the cornflour mix and stir until it’s all combined.  Repeat until all the syrup has been incorporated into the cornflour mix.

- Put the cornflour/sugar syrup mix onto the stove and bring gently to the boil, stirring well to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom.  The mix should bubble very gently.  Stir every couple of minutes – don’t leave it alone too long – if it boils too much or isn’t stirred, it may burn or bubble over.

BE CAREFUL!  This mix is like napalm and not only will it burn, but it’s incredibly sticky and holds its heat.

- After 45 to 60 minutes, you’ll be nearing the end.  The mix will be very thick (think “cool honey” sort of thick).  Try dropping a small bit into a bowl of cold water.  Leave it there for a moment and then bite into it.  It should be slightly chewy rather than dissolving straight away.

- Add the rosewater/rose essence and food colouring.  Stir until it’s combined and then carefully pour the mix into oiled trays and let it cool (overnight is good).

- Cover the top of the now-set mix with some of the dusting flour/sugar and turn it out onto a board.  Sift more dust over it and, with a large oiled knife, cut into small bite-sized pieces.  Roll in the rest of the dusting mix until every piece is covered and store in a single layer with any extra dust.

There.  All done.  Pour yourself a nice drink and pat yourself on the back.  Now, think of all the other things you can do with the finished Turkish Delight.  Stir chopped bits into chocolate ice-cream.  Put it into a deluxe Rocky Road.

Or…just eat it.

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