Turkish Delight
Ingredients
Directions
Make the mixture
Soak 1 oz. of gelatin in half a cup of water for 2 hours.
Put it into a pan with 1 lb. of white sugar, 1 teaspoonful of citric acid, and a cup of cold water.
Boil this for 10 minutes, then add 1 teaspoonful of lemon extract.
Set and finish
Pour the mixture through muslin onto two dinner plates, previously wet with cold water.
Colour one plateful pink with a few drops of cochineal (liquid) and add 1 oz. of almonds, blanched and chopped.
Leave the mixture in a cool place until it is quite firm.
Cut it into small squares, and roll in plenty of confectioner's sifted sugar.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Gelatin (in the method)
- Sets the liquid sugar syrup into a firm, jelly-like body.
- White sugar (in the method)
- Provides sweetness and, when boiled, the bulk and body of the candy.
- Citric acid
- Adds sharpness that balances the sweetness of the sugar.
- Almonds (in the method)
- Add crunch and nutty flavour against the soft jelly.
The step that matters
Leave the mixture to set until quite firm. Gelatin needs time in a cool place to form a firm gel. Cutting too early gives a soft, sticky mass that does not hold its shape.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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