Turkish Delight adventures...
Attempt number one at adapting a traditional Turkish Delight recipe to make a copy of Liberty Orchard's Aplet candy is underway.
I'm using a recipe from a December 2001 issue of Martha Stewart Living, but making some adaptations, which I wanted to make some notes about before I forget them. So far I have:
Substituted all the water in my recipe for the same volume of two-thirds-reduced fresh apple cider. Note to future self: Watch the heat on all steps of preparation more closely! Cider boils over SO EASILY. Don't try to prepare any other components of the recipe while waiting for things to reach temperature!
Used pan-toasted pecans instead of slivered almonds.
Not cooked the base long enough. Recipe said an hour and fifteen minutes. Note to future self: Don't wimp out at an hour. That extra fifteen minutes could have saved you having to re-cook the base the following morning when it didn't set properly. Here's hoping the additional half hour of cooking fixed it.
Added 1/2 tsp apple extract at the end of cooking instead of the called-for rose water. This was a very good idea as it added a bit of floral scent but no soapy flavor. The apple flavor was definitely already intense from the cider, but it just gave the flavor a boost. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure it cooked out when I had to reheat the base and forgot to re-add it.
Next step: Cutting and dredging. My dredging mix will include the addition of ground cinnamon, yum. Cutting method should not involve dragging a blade through the block, definitely go with the oiled pizza cutter. Contingency plan: If it isn't set by tomorrow morning, let the block air an additional 24 hours before cutting. If STILL not set, consider gently reheating and using as a glaze for spice cake.
I'm using a recipe from a December 2001 issue of Martha Stewart Living, but making some adaptations, which I wanted to make some notes about before I forget them. So far I have:
Substituted all the water in my recipe for the same volume of two-thirds-reduced fresh apple cider. Note to future self: Watch the heat on all steps of preparation more closely! Cider boils over SO EASILY. Don't try to prepare any other components of the recipe while waiting for things to reach temperature!
Used pan-toasted pecans instead of slivered almonds.
Not cooked the base long enough. Recipe said an hour and fifteen minutes. Note to future self: Don't wimp out at an hour. That extra fifteen minutes could have saved you having to re-cook the base the following morning when it didn't set properly. Here's hoping the additional half hour of cooking fixed it.
Added 1/2 tsp apple extract at the end of cooking instead of the called-for rose water. This was a very good idea as it added a bit of floral scent but no soapy flavor. The apple flavor was definitely already intense from the cider, but it just gave the flavor a boost. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure it cooked out when I had to reheat the base and forgot to re-add it.
Next step: Cutting and dredging. My dredging mix will include the addition of ground cinnamon, yum. Cutting method should not involve dragging a blade through the block, definitely go with the oiled pizza cutter. Contingency plan: If it isn't set by tomorrow morning, let the block air an additional 24 hours before cutting. If STILL not set, consider gently reheating and using as a glaze for spice cake.