Turkish Delight

From The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

I'm sure most of us have either read the books or seen the movies based on The Chronicles of Narnia. Who can forget the annoying moment when Edmund sells out his brothers and sisters to the White Queen for these tasty confections? Even as a little girl I wanted to slap that kid. Turkish Delight, lokum, or loukoum is a confection made from starch and sugar. It's usually flavored with rosewater and lemon, the former giving it a characteristic pale pink color. It has a soft, jelly-like and sometimes sticky consistency, and is often packaged and eaten in small cubes that are dusted with icing sugar or copra to prevent sticking. This is a classic turkish delight recipe using rosewater, though other flavors can be substituted.

Ingredients

8 oz. water

1 oz. gelatine

14 oz. sugar

¼ tsp. citric acid

½ tsp. vanilla essence

2 tsp. triple-strength rose water

pink food colouring - optional

2oz. powdered sugar

1 oz. cornflour


Directions
Place the water in a large saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin on to the liquid. Set aside until the gelatine is spongy. Add the sugar and citric acid, place the pan over a gentle heat and stir constantly until dissolved. Bring the mixture to the boil and boil for 20 minutes without stirring. Remove from the heat and allow to stand for 10 minutes.
Stir in the vanilla essence, rose water and colouring if used. Pour into a wetted 6 inch square baking tin. Leave uncovered in a cool place for 24 hours.
Sift the icing sugar and cornflour together on to a sheet of greaseproof paper. Turn the Turkish delight on to the paper and cut into squares using a sharp knife dipped in the icing sugar mixture. Toss well in the mixture, so that all the sides are coated. Pack in airtight containers lined with waxed paper and dusted with the remaining icing sugar and cornflour.