TURKISH DELIGHT Valentines recipe swap

In 1776, during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid I, a very experienced confectioner named Hacı Bekir Efendi, arrived in Istanbul from a small town in Anatolia. Bekir opened a small shop in the center of the city, and very soon he gained money and fame among the Turkish. His secret ingredient was pulverised Mastic Beads, a gum resin from a local Acacia tree. It became fashionable among ladies of our era to give their friends Ra`hat Lakoum wrapped in special lace handkerchiefs, a custom also adopted by courting couples, as documented in the traditional love songs of that time.

THE SWAP. Make a Turkish Delight to delight your family. Take photos of it, and write a note with the photos in an EMAIL to two partners, letting them know how you faired with the recipe. Did it taste as good as store bought Turkish Delight or otherwise. We look forward to your participation, As always any questions, please dont hesitate to ask us. Happy Valentines Everyone.

The first recipe for novelty sake is from a 1780 Receipt Book Try it if you can find the ingredients... but realistically otherwise the one following uses Gelatin to set the sweet. Modern recipes use cornflour which was not available during our era, though there are numerous youtube videos using this as "authentic" turkish Lokum.

To Make Perfum'd PASTELS

Take a pound of sugar sifted thro' a lawn seive, two grains of Amber-Grees, One grain of Musk; Grinde the Amber and Musk very fine, mix it with the sugar make it up to a paste with Gum Dragon well steep'd in Orange Flower Water and put in a spoonful of Ben; Beat the paste well in a mortar then roll it pretty thin cut the Pastels with a small thimble, and print 'em with a seal. Let 'em Lye on papers to dry when they are dry, put 'em in a glass that has a cover, or in some close place where they may not lose their scent.

Turkish Delight (Persian name - Rahat-ul Halkoum* meaning soothing to the throat)

1.5 lb (700 g) caster sugar

juice of 1 lemon (for lemon flavoured lakoum)

OR 1 large tablespoon for Rose scented Lakoum)

17.1fl oz (500 ml) water (divided: 400 ml + 100 ml)

3 tablespoon powdered gelatin

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

red or pink coloring, optional

2 tablespoons rose water

Start by lining an greased 8x8-inch baking tin. set aside. Heat caster sugar, lemon juice, and water in a large pan over low heat, but do not allow them to boil.

Meanwhile, place the gelatine, cream of tartar in a large saucepan. Use a balloon whisk to whisk in a little of the remaining water to form a paste. Gradually whisk in the remaining water. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 3-5 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens. Gradually pour the sugar syrup into the gelatin mixture, whisking constantly (if the mixture becomes lumpy, pour through a fine sieve into another saucepan). Place the pan over high heat until it boils. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 20 minutes, whisking constantly, until the mixture thickens and becomes pale yellow in color. Set the rahat lokum mixture aside. If you wish to make colored rahat lokum, add a few drops of food coloring and let the mixture rest for 5 minutes. Finally, if using add rose water.and stir until well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Set aside to cool to room temperature and place in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight until firm. Pour the icing sugar mixture onto a large chopping board. Turn the lokum onto the icing sugar and use a lightly greased knife to cut into 3cm pieces. Toss the lokum in the icing sugar to coat. Serve.