Turkish Delight Candy Treat

I can't even remember when or where I first experienced the taste of this rather unusual treat.  I recall it was when I was a very young child.  I liked it then, but knew little about it.  Many years passed before I encountered it again.  I'd pretty much forgotten about it until I recognized the name of it.  It's not something commonly found in stores, at least here in the U.S. that I know about.  I wanted to see if I could find a way to make it and see if it still had the same wonderful taste I remembered.

Searching around, I found some recipes for the "traditional" flavor associated with what is made and eaten in Turkey, which is excellent, but of course, one can modify to whatever taste preferences you may have.  The texture and consistency remains the same.  And having made a batch of it around the house, I found it disappeared very quickly!  It brought back some good memories of when I first tasted it and is something I enjoy making and enjoy watching other people eat.  We'll start out with a "traditional" recipe and then talk about variations you may try.

INGREDIENTS
1 2/3 Cups Granulated White Sugar
4 Packets Powdered Gelatin (Knox Unflavored Gelatin is what I found in the grocery store)
2/3 Cup Cornstarch
1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar (Confectioner's Sugar)
1/3 Cup Shelled, Unsalted Pistachio Nuts
Juice from 1 Fresh Lemon
3 Teaspoons Rosewater
Food Coloring (Traditional color is Pink)
2 Teaspoons Olive Oil

PREPARATION
NOTE: Cooking instructions are rather precise and must be followed for a good finished treat.

Before we begin cooking, let's have everything ready we're going to use.  Take an 8 inch baking dish...again, I use a Pyrex dish, but you may use a metal baking pan or whatever you have.  Make sure the sides are about 2 inches high.  This is what you are going to use to put the mixture in after it's cooked so it can set up and be ready to cut and eat.  Using olive oil, lightly wipe the bottom and sides of the pan or dish.  Now, line the pan or dish with plastic wrap.  Try to make sure you don't have big wrinkles in the plastic wrap and that it conforms to the sides and bottom of the pan.  Mix the powdered sugar in a bowl, together with about 1/6 cup of cornstarch and "dust" the bottom and sides of the plastic wrap with the powdered mixture.  Set the pan aside for now.

Using a medium size sauce pan, our in 1 1/4 cup of water, the lemon juice and granulated sugar.  Begin to heat over low heat, stirring to make sure all of the sugar dissolves completely.  Once the sugar is completely dissolved, bring the sauce pan to a boil, carefully....you don't want the sugar to burn!

Add the gelatin to the sauce pan, together with 1/2 cup of cornstarch and 3/4 cup of water, plus 2 tablespoons of water.  Stir constantly until all of the gelatin has completely dissolved.  As soon as the gelatin has completely dissolved, reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to simmer the sauce pan for 20 minutes until the mixture has thickened.

Once the mixture has thickened, remove the sauce pan from the heat and allow it to cool.  You want the sauce pan to be cool enough to touch.  Once the saucepan has cooled, add the pistachio nuts, food coloring and rosewater to the pan and mix all ingredients well for uniform consistency and color.

Now, pour the mixture from the sauce pan into your previously prepared baking pan or dish.  Although the mixture will still be soft, level it out a bit with a spoon.  Now, allow the mixture to cool for at least 4 hours to set up completely.  I put mine in the refrigerator to assist the cooling.

Make sure the mixture is completely set before going further.  The mix will feel "sticky," even after set well.  When completely set up, you may cut the mixture into small squares, about the size of regular pieces of candy.  Now, dust each piece of candy with the remaining powdered sugar/cornstarch mix.  This will help eliminate the stickiness and give a nice appearance and make them easy to pick up with your fingers.

That's all there is to it!  You have a rather exotic treat to enjoy and share with friends and family.  Something many people have never had an opportunity to experience!

VARIATIONS
While this is the "traditional" Turkish treat, your tastes may be different.  Don't hesitate to experiment!  I have used walnuts in place of the pistachio nuts.  Likewise, I have used different food colors...maybe something with a holiday flair.  Red, green, orange or other colors of your liking.  The same with flavorings.  Other than traditional rosewater, I've used cherry flavor, orange, strawberry....most anything you enjoy!  Coordinate your flavor with your color and it's still a wonderful treat!  If you have trouble finding rosewater, I believe you may be able to find it at a pharmacy.

If you have questions, please feel free to email me at: stan.kain@gmail.com  You may also subscribe to my Recipe Blog and receive the latest updates and new recipes as I add them.  And feel free to share recipes with family and friends.  I sincerely hope you enjoy this treat!