Turkish Delight

Not going to lie to you....... this is tough work. It's more like a tricky science experiment than a recipe. And when I say you must watch this with a hawk's eye I mean it. All due respect to Rachel Allen as this is her recipe you need to really be accurate and invest in a good sugar thermometer. This was my third time lucky and I was not going to be defeated. I have fell through all the pit falls..... made all the mistakes and so here is my fool proof and novice's way through Rachel's recipe. This is not for the faint hearted and I have put my HEART and soul into this; it's long-winded and tedious to read through and process before attempting but if you're serious about making it, make it your business to prepare well or prepare to fail.

The reason I went for a third time was because I was reminded hourly of my foodie failings on a recent holiday to Turkey where they sell it ten a penny and at every street corner. The turks were mocking me and so I came home more determined than ever that turkish delight would not conquer me. To be honest I got more of a buzz out of seeing it set than I did eating it....... Although my Dad......who is a big fan....got a midnight FaceTime the night that I realised I had finally succeeded.

This is just a little aside..... these were pretty little lanterns hanging on a tree on one of the busy tourist street in Kusadasi...... it was on this night that I made my mind up to return home and conquer the rosewater-flavoured sweet...........


You'll need......

850g caster sugar

21g gelatine powder

125g cornflour

1teaspoon of cream of tartar

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

2 teaspoons of rosewater

A few drops of red food colouring

Icing sugar - to dust

Sunflower oil, for greasing the tin

8” square non-stick cake tin

A sugar thermometer - probably set you back max 15 euro.

It makes loads of little cube pieces like 60 I reckon I got.

You'll need to...........

Line the tin and grease the hell out of it and use only a flavourless oil. This is crucial especially the lining, you'll thank me for it at the end. Use a full baking tin not a spring form because when your pouring your mixture into the tin it's like a thick honey and will find its way out of any gap or opening in a tin.

When putting in the food colouring air on the side of caution initially you don't want a ruby red but do add more than one drop in because you don't want an amber traffic light colored turkish delight either.

Use a heavy-based sauce pan to ensure even heat distribution......and now for my most IMPORTANT/CRUCIAL/INTEGRAL tip......

*********You keep checking the heat as it rises......do not dare attempt to turn up the heat so you reach your desired temperature quicker.......syrups' temperatures increase as the water boils off and the sugar density rises........******************

Now, right, let's get to it brave ones.....

You'll need to.....

Grease the cake tin with sunflower oil.  Line the bottom with greaseproof paper and grease the paper.

In your pan, bring the sugar and 500ml of water to a rolling boil over a medium heat.  Stir the mixture until the sugar has dissolved.

Reduce the heat and keep the sugar syrup at a low simmer without stirring until it reaches hard-ball stage (125˚C).  Now various attemptees say this takes various times..... my advice is to keep a good eye, like FBI-eye good eye on it and if say your ring's max number is 9 keep it about 4. You just have to keep checking with the thermometer. Remember my numero uno tip about the science-y bit. 

Meanwhile, mix the gelatine with the cornflour and cream of tartar in another heavy duty pan.  Gradually whisk in another 500ml water until it’s smooth.  Simmer over a medium heat for approximately 3-5 minutes whisking CONSTANTLY to prevent lumps.  It is ready once it starts to look suspiciously like wallpaper paste.  Remove it from the heat.

Once the sugar syrup reaches the hard-ball stage, immediately remove from the heat and whisk in the lemon juice.  Next whisk the sugar syrup into the cornflour mixture.

Place the combined mixture over a low heat and simmer gently until it reaches the thread stage (110˚C).  Stir frequently to prevent sticking or burning.  It should take approximately 1hr.

As soon as the mixture reaches 110˚C (and has turned a deep golden colour), add the rosewater and food colouring and stir until fully incorporated.

Pour into the prepared tin and leave overnight in the fridge to firm up. I actually left it nearly 36 hours in the fridge on my third and only successful attempt. 

Dust a work surface with ridiculous amounts of icing sugar.  Turn the Turkish Delight out onto the icing sugar and chop it into squares with an oiled knife.  Dust more icing sugar over the top and then roll each square to ensure it has a hefty coating.  This will ensure it stores for longer without sticking together and will dust off so there's no such thing as too much.