SC - OOP - Gwynydd of Culloden's Good Turkish Delight

[Lee-Gwen Booth]

Unto the Gathered Cooks does Gwynydd send the Following:

Gwynydd of Culloden's Good Turkish Delight
(thus called because it actually works - mostly!)

2 cups sugar
1 cup water
3 tb (unflavoured) gelatine (I find that this can vary.  I was given a
caterers' jar of gelatine, which may, in fact, be quite old, and I need
about 1/4 c to make the recipe work.)
1/2 tsp citric acid
2 tsp rose water (or more - I love rose water and anyway I find that quality
varies)
colouring as required
icing mixture (i.e. half icing sugar plus half corn flour ( US corn
starch ) )

1) Combine sugar, water, and gelatine in a saucepan and stir over a low heat
until completely dissolved.  (This may take 10 or 15 minutes - or more! -
but don't scrimp on this step.  You will regret it later!  I find that this
can be cut down by mixing the gelatine and sugar together and adding boiling
water, but this can lump if you aren't careful.)
2) Bring to a boil and boil, without stirring, for 20 minutes.  (There
should be a light froth on the top for most of this boiling.  I advise using
a larger saucepan than seems reasonable; the mixture can boil over when you
least expect it.)
3) Remove from the heat.  Add the flavourings and colouring and stir well.
4) Pour into a lightly greased tin and allow to set in the refrigerator.
5) Once it has completely set, Sprinkle the top with icing mixture and then
prise out of the tin carefully with your fingers.  It may help to add icing
mixture into the tin as you go.  This stops the Turkish delight from
sticking to itself - which it will do at the drop of a hat!
6) Cut into squares (this is probably easiest if you use kitchen scissors
coated in icing mixture).  Dust each piece separately with icing mixture.

Turkish Delight will keep for about a week in an airtight tin - I find that
it is getting a bit tough by the end of that time, but no-one else seems to
notice, as well, the icing mixture can start to cake a bit.

Variations
Ginger: 2 tsp minced ginger (I use the pre-prepared bottled variety) before
the mixture begins to boil.  Omit the citric acid and use only one tsp of
rose water.

Lemon: Omit the rose water and double the citric acid (expect problems with
this!  My Lady (who cuts it up for me) believes that rose water has magic
powers in this recipe because we have fewer failures with any variety with
even a smidgen of rose water than those which have none!)

Please note: All measurements given are Australian Standard (although, when
I come to think of it, my tablespoons may all be 15 ml rather than 20!)

This could be called Multi Purpose Turkish Delight too! As well as being a
very nice sweet it has been used for:
Resurrecting the Dead (in a quest one year - the coating apparently has
"magic powers" - I sold masses at that event!);
Makeshift Chalk (a Lady needed to sketch out a pattern on cloth - same
event, great sales!);
A Toy to Occupy Mundane Children (just play with it for a while and you will
see why!).

Enjoy

Gwynydd (who guarantees that she has not omitted any ingredient to ensure a
lack of success!)