Turkish Delight Syllabub Food

NIGELLA LAWSON TURKISH DELIGHT SYLLABUB

Steps:

• Mix the cointreau, lemon juice and sugar in a large bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
• Slowly stir in the cream and then begin to whisk with an electric mixer.
• Whisk until the cream is fairly thick, but not thick enough to hold its shape.
• Sprinkle in the flower waters and keep whisking until you have a light and airy mixture that forms soft peaks.
• Be careful, it's better to have it a bit too runny than too thick.
• Spoon into small glasses, letting the mixture come up over the rim of the glass.
• Scatter finely chopped pistachios on top.

TURKISH DELIGHT SYLLABUB

Steps:

• Combine the orange-flavored liqueur, lemon juice and sugar in a large bowl (I use the bowl of my freestanding mixer) and stir to dissolve the sugar, or as good as. Slowly stir in the cream then get whisking. As I said, I use my freestanding mixer to this, but if you haven't got one, don't worry - but I would then advise a handheld electric mixer. This takes ages to thicken and doing it by hand will drive you demented with tedium and impatience. Or it would me.
• When the cream's fairly thick, but still not thick enough to hold its shape, dribble with the flower waters and then keep whisking until you have a cream mixture that's light and airy but able to form soft peaks. I always think of syllabub as occupying some notional territory between solid and liquid; you're aiming, as you whisk, for what Jane Grigson called "bulky whiteness." Whatever: better slightly too runny than slightly too thick, so proceed carefully, but don't get anxious about it.
• Spoon the syllabub in airy dollops into small glasses, letting the mixture billow up above the rim of the glass, and scatter finely chopped pistachios on top. In my How to Eat cookbook, there's a recipe for pistachio crescents that would be fabulous dunked into and eaten with this. But only if you feel like it: the cool, fool-like smoothness of this is perfect as it is.

TURKISH DELIGHT

Steps:

• Oil a shallow square metal or silicone baking tray, about 18 x 18cm. Put the sugar in a pan with the cream of tartar and 500ml water and heat gently at first, stirring so that the sugar melts. Then, turn up the heat and boil for 10-15 mins until the mixture is a little more syrupy. If you have a sugar thermometer, it should reach 115-118C.
• Stir the cornflour into 150ml water, then, whisking all the time, pour it into the sugar syrup. Keep whisking, until everything combines to make a smooth, gloopy mix. Take out the whisk and start to stir with a spatula or spoon over a medium heat. Keep stirring until the mixture is thick enough to see a clear line drawn through it with the spoon and it starts to leave the sides of the pan. It will be very thick and make big bubbles that burst as it cooks, so be careful. This can take up to an hour. Test the mix by dropping a small amount into very cold water; it should form a ball that can be pressed gently when cold and that will feel a little springy.
• Stir in the rosewater or rose syrup and the food colouring, if using, then pour everything into the tray and level the top. Leave to cool and set completely. Sieve some cornflour and icing sugar together over a board and carefully turn out the Turkish delight. Cover it with more icing sugar and cornflour and cut it into cubes with a sharp knife. Dust with yet more of the icing sugar mixture and move the pieces apart so they can dry. Can be stored openly or in small cardboard boxes or bags for up to 1 week.