Turkish Delight Slices

November 09, 2011

Turkish Delight Slices

Turkish delight reminds me of...


Try walking into a Travel agency, pick up some brochures, take them home, arrange them neatly by your bedside table and before you go to sleep, flip some pages.... what do you think will happen the next day when we woke up from our slumberland? Yep... You have been bitten by the 'Travel Bug'...

Travel Bug bit me decades ago, when I was in Uni...

I passed by Thomas Cook Travel Agency...enroute home from class. I loved to see what they had on display.... nice places and some travel deals. Then one day... not too sure what came over me...I decided to step in and picked up some brochures: package tours to France, Germany or even to Scandinavia ambitious me... Scandinavia was out of my budget... and still is... and among many brochures... only one that got me going...

It was Turkey 

The places and photos were amazingly beautiful... my heart was set that I wanted to travel to Turkey for the summer. I wanted to see the Blue Mosque, I wanted to experience and be in Pamukkale and many more...
Since none of my Malaysian friends were interested to backpack with me to Turkey, I forward the idea to my Iranian friend, Yasmin. She agreed to travel with me to Turkey, enroute to Switzerland, where she was schooling before headed home to Iran.
I was so excited... plans were made, Visa applied and approved... but sadly, our plans didn't take off, because Yasmin had to go home as soon as our summer holiday started (Iran was in turmoil at that time)... I understood what she went through... I wished her safe journey home... I didn't see her again when semester resumed in October...and I wish and hope for Yasmin's good health and safe with her beloved family... and Yasmin (1st year Economics at King's College London... and you were head over heels over Rob Lowe),  if you are reading this... do keep in touch so I know that you are OK... 


Turkish Delight Slices

Eventhough my travel plan to Turkey didn't take off ....I have not given up hope .... one day I will visit Turkey...
But for now.... lets enjoy my Turkish Delight /Turkish Slice

Turkish Delight Recipe (adapted from AWW winter favourite 2011)

185g unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup (75g) caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (225g) plain flour
1/3 cup (50) self raising flour
4 teaspoon gelatine
2 tablespoon water
1/3 cup(80ml) water, extra
1 1/2 cups(330g) white sugar
1/3 cup (50g) cornflour
2 tablespoon rosewater
red food colouring
icing sugar
  1. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease 20cmx 30cm rectangular pan and line base and long sides with baking paper, extending 5cm over the sides.
  2. Beat butter, sugar and vanilla until combined. Stir in sifted flours. Press mixture evenly over the base of the pan; using fork, rough the surface. Bake base for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Put aside to cool.
  3. Sprinkle gelatine over water in a heatproof jug. Using double boil method, stand the jug in simmering water and stir until gelatine dissolves.
  4. Add 1/3 cup of water (reserve 1 tablespoon) and sugar into the saucepan over low heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil. Boil, uncovered without stirring until temperature reaches 116C on candy thermometer. Reduce heat to a simmer, uncovered, and simmer for 5 minutes without stirring, maintaining the heat at 116C. Remove from heat.
  5. Blend cornflour with the reserved 1 tablespoon water, gelatine mixture, rosewater and few drop of food colouring until smooth and stir into the sugar syrup. Return to heat, simmer and stir for 3 minutes or until the mixture is opaque.
  6. Strain over the ready cooled base. Skim any scum.
  7. Stand overnight.
  8. Sprinkle with sifted icing sugar.


Comments

  1. Amiin....I pray for you, dear. Hope someday you can visit Turkey. Those slices are tempting.

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  2. This is sooo pretty Lisa...me thinks will be trying this soon :). Great post as always...

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  3. Lovely bars! I would also like to visit Turkey or Scandinavia.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  4. Lisa, pass some over please. Very tempting and delicious......
    I like your presentation, cantik molek.

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  5. Awww I hope you get to Turkey someday. I've always wanted to go to France. Not sure when it will happen, but one day it will.

    Anyway, thank god for foods ability to transport us to another country and culture, and your Turkish Delight slice looks so delicious. I love the pink topping.

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  6. hope u get to visit Turkey its wonderful and wow these are amazing pure genius

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  7. Hope you visit Turkey soon. My homecountry is worth visiting every inch of it!! You are braver than i am to try delights. I take the shortcut and buy them normally!

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  8. Tika
    Ameen... insyallah one day :D

    Pan Cuisine
    Happy baking :D

    Rosa
    yes... the Scandinavia would be a dream for me too :D

    Amelia
    awww... thank you Amelia, I shall email you some ;)

    Jennifer
    We shall keep the dream alive :D

    Rebecca
    Thank you... and I hope ... someday

    Ilke
    Thank you ... :D

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  9. I've never tasted these, but they are beautiful. Your photos have a wonderful aura about them, I love the light.

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  10. I LOVE reading your writing, Lisa! Very honest and fun to read what with all the cute little emoticons. They always make me smile reading it hahaha... Anyway, it's great that you still think of your friend till this day. I sincerely hope that one day you both reconnect again, that would be such a beautiful day...

    I've heard SO much about how crazy beautiful Turkey is and I hope my parents get a chance to visit the place some day, I'm sure they'll love it. In the meantime, maybe I can make these cute little slices to "tempt" them to flirt with the idea hehe... Thank you!

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  11. Alhamdulillah, I sihat2 saja. Saja2 duduk diam2 eventhough I will still visit your blog.

    I love travelling too. Unfortunately my husband is not too keen and having kiddies, is not really that easy to pack and go. How I wish I could just pack my bag and travel. Terbang macam burung di awan. Wouldn't it be good. Maybe one day....

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  12. kudos to you for making your own turkish delight! and hopefully one day you can travel with your hubby for a romantic getaway to turkey. I heard its beautiful :)

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  13. Turkey is on the top of my list to visit too! There's so much beauty and history. I'd love to go to Istanbul and Bodrum.

    These Turkish delight bars look wonderful! Hope you get to go soon!

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  14. I love travelling too...And of course, I love Turkish delight. Turkey is great. I don't get much time to travel these days, specially that my husband is away (6 months more) and I have a little toddler to take care of. Probably when she is a bit older, I'd like to visit Europe next. Meantime, I'll do my travelling in my kitchen where all places can be reached via their cuisines. Thanks a lot for the post!

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  15. i love Turkish delight. those slices are a great idea and so pretty!

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  16. Interesting idea! And they look so very pretty!

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  17. This Turkish delight looks so pretty to eat!

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  18. my kids would love these. I will have to try them.

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  19. beautiful slice! :)
    My husband and I plan to visit Turkey next year, too. Hopefully we can go!

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  20. Much appreciated for the comments... and thank you :)

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  21. Oh, I'm glad so many people shared the same passion towards Turkey. I brought back a bottle of rosewater and hope to put it to good use soon!

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  22. This looks so delicious. Would love for you to share this with us over at foodepix.com.

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  23. These are so pretty! I love Turkish delight. I've made a trip to Turkey and it is a truly amazing country. There are so many places to see, and the culture there is vibrant and interesting. Do make a trip if you can!

    Yii-Huei from aroundleglobe.blogspot.com

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