Turkish Delight

I am sure most of you must have seen the movie or read the book "Chronicles of Narnia"...well if you havent, I suggest you do it, because its a very nice movie . There is a mention of "Turkish delight" which is a candy that the White Witch used to lure the second youngest kid, Edmund for getting details about his siblings. I was really curious about this candy, mainly because of its name and also because of the way Edmund's face would go all innocent when he asked for it :) ....I found this simple recipe for making this sweet from this site below:

http://www.christmas-joy.com/recipes/turkishdelight.htm

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

4 cups sugar

4 1/2 cups water

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 1/4 cups cornstarch

1 teaspoon cream of tartar (I used lemon extract instead of cream of tartar as I did not have it)

1 1/2 tablespoons rosewater red food coloring (optional)

1 cup confectioners sugar

Method:

1. Oil a 9-inch square pan. Line with plastic wrap and oil the plastic wrap.


2. In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, 1 1/2 cups of the water, and the lemon juice. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture boils. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, without stirring, until the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage (240°F on a candy thermometer). Remove the pan from the heat.


3. In a second large heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir together 1 cup cornstarch and the cream of tartar. Gradually stir in the remaining 3 cups of water until no lumps remain. Stir constantly, until the mixture boils and is a thick, gluey paste.


4. Slowly pour the hot sugar, water, and lemon juice syrup into the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often to prevent sticking, for about 1 hour, or until the mixture has become a pale golden color.


5. Stir in the rosewater and tint as desired with food coloring. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Cool to room temperature and let stand, uncovered, overnight to set.


6. Sift the confectioners sugar and the remaining 1/4 cup cornstarch onto a large cutting board. Turn the Turkish delight out and cut into 1-inch squares with an oiled knife. Roll pieces in the sugar mixture to coat well. Store in an airtight container with sheets of waxed paper, dusted with the sugar mixture, separating every layer.