Turkish Delight (Lokum)
Photo: Chris Buttigieg at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Turkish delight is a soft, chewy sweet of sugar and cornstarch that you can make with a saucepan and a thermometer. Rosewater gives it its classic floral flavor and pale pink color, and a dusting of sugar keeps the cubes from sticking together. The recipe is easy to adapt: swap in vanilla, orange extract or fruit juice for the rosewater, or fold in toasted pistachios or almonds for crunch.
Instructions
Put the sugar, 1 cup of the water, the cream of tartar and the rosewater in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil.
Lower the heat to medium-low and keep the syrup boiling for 20 to 30 minutes. It is ready when a candy thermometer reads 250°F (120°C), the firm-ball stage.
In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch with the remaining ½ cup of hot water until no lumps remain. Slowly stir this into the sugar syrup.
Keep stirring constantly until the mixture is evenly combined, then continue on low heat until it thickens and turns clearer. Stir in the food coloring at this point, and the chopped nuts if you are using them.
Spray a heat-safe form with non-stick cooking spray. Heat-safe ice cube trays work well, but not plastic ones, and a shallow pie pan or jelly-roll pan will also do.
Pour the hot, thickened mixture into the pan or form and leave it to set.
Once cool, release the pieces from the form, or cut the set slab into cubes. Roll each piece in icing sugar, granulated sugar or desiccated coconut so the sides do not stick.
Store the pieces at room temperature in an airtight container.
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