turkish delight

i made this for the first time a couple of years ago "for a laugh". my arms have just recovered, so i asked 15-year-old kitchen whiz liam to "help" this time (ie be the mixing robot- hahaha, dastardly, i know). it turned out delicious, though a double batch is advised, given the enormous amount of work this is.



400g white sugar
150ml water

1 tsp lemon juice

50g (100ml) cornflour (not wheaten cornflour)

175ml cold water

5-10 drops red food colouring

1.5 tsp rose essence (queen brand works well), or to taste

optional flavours:

80g lightly roasted, unsalted pistachios shelled

for dusting, sift together:

25g (50ml) cornflour

50g pure icing sugar

heat the sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan; stir continuously over medium heat until brought to the boil. reduce heat to as low as possible and don't stir any further.  wash down the walls of the saucepan with a wet pastry brush occasionally to hinder the creation of large crystals in the sugar syrup. keep simmering the syrup for 15 minutes or just before soft ball stage (110C if you have a candy thermometer): stop before the sugar starts to turn golden. 

place the cornflour in a medium-large saucepan and use a whisk to mix in the cold water. stir constantly over low heat, using the whisk to scrape into the corners of the pan. as soon as the thickening starts, remove the saucepan from the heat and keep stirring. return to the heat for 30 seconds and continue stirring; the mixture should be thick and smooth like mashed potato.

pour half a cup of the sugar syrup into the cornflour paste and mix well until the paste is smooth again. gradually add the remaining syrup (about a quarter of a cup at a time), stirring it in well each time.

bring the cornflour-syrup mixture to the boil, stirring thoroughly and constantly. as soon as bubbles appear, turn the heat as low as possible, using a diffuser if necessary. 

keep stirring thoroughly and gently for about 20-30 minutes, the mixture should be thick enough for a spoon drawn across the bottom of the pan to leave a path which takes at least 10 seconds to close up. to test the texture of the finished sweet, dip a spoon into the mixture and then into a glass of cold water for 30 seconds. keep cooking for 5 more minutes if you want it chewier, otherwise take it off the heat.

scrape mixture into lined pan using a silicone spatula; allow to cool at room temperature for at least 3 hours, then cut and dust with icing sugar mixture and store in brown paper.

rose petal jam

rose petal jam. how luxurious! and how better to enjoy roses from the garden than by extolling their fragrance  and eating them?

there is a massive variety of recipes available, and this is only my first attempt (i've been promised bags of petals from a colleague's garden to practice on). i've made 500ml batches to test the method:

60g fresh, unsprayed petals (the more perfumed, the better)

1.5c caster sugar

0.75c water

1/4tsp citric acid or 1/2tsp lemon juice

wipe or gently rinse bugs off each petal. with small scissors or fingertips, remove the pale pit of each petal (the part that connects the petal to the centre of the flower- if left on, the result will be bitter). in a medium glass or ceramic bowl, gently use a fork to bruise the petals with 0.5c of sugar. cover with cling wrap and leave overnight (or at least for a few hours)

the next day, mix the remaining sugar and water in a small pan. bring to a gentle boil, and cook until a slightly thick syrup results. add in petals and citric acid/lemon, and cook on the lowest possible heat for up to 10 minutes or until jam is a little sticky on the back of a spoon.