A box of sugar-dusted, rose-scented Turkish Delight is something we often associate with Christmas but makes a perfect Valentine's Day gift packed into a box lined with waxed paper.
You could also try adding pure lemon extract and a drop of yellow food colour in place of the rosewater and pink colouring.
Turkish delight
Makes 20 pieces.
375g caster sugar
juice of 1 lemon
25g gelatine powder
100g cornflour
25g icing sugar
2–3 teaspoons rosewater
pink food-colouring paste
50g shelled unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped
sunflower oil, for brushing the tin
Tip the sugar into a medium-sized pan and add the lemon juice and 300ml of water. Stir over a low heat to dissolve the sugar, then bring gently to the boil.
Mix the gelatine with 75g of the cornflour and 200ml water and add to the pan. Stir constantly until the gelatine has dissolved, then continue to simmer very gently for 20 minutes until thickened.
Mix together the remaining cornflour and the icing sugar. Lightly oil a 20cm square baking tin to a depth of 4–5cm and line it with clingfilm. Lightly dust the clingfilm with some of the cornflour mixture, tipping out the excess.
Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool. Add the rosewater, food colouring and pistachios and pour the mixture into the tin. Spread level and leave to cool for at least 4 hours or until completely set before cutting into squares and dusting with the rest of the icing sugar and cornflour mixture.
Stored in an airtight container, these will keep for about a week.
Raspberry and passionfruit pastilles
Cut these pastilles into small squares, toss in caster sugar and pack into pretty glass candy jars tied with ribbons and a gift tag.
One batch of this recipe will make enough pastilles to fill a couple of standard-sized jars, or one big one.
Try using a small heart-shaped cutter to stamp out the pastilles, toss in sugar and package into little bags or boxes as wedding favours or Valentine's gifts. Any offcuts are a little gift to yourself.
Makes 20 pieces
400g raspberries
3 passionfruit
juice of ¼ lemon
approx. 300–400g preserving sugar with added pectin
caster sugar, to serve
Lightly oil a 17cm square baking tin and line with non-stick baking parchment.
Tip the raspberries into a solid-bottomed shallow pan. Halve the passionfruit and scoop the seeds and juice into the pan. Add the lemon juice, cover the pan and cook over a medium heat until the raspberries have softened and cooked down to a pulp.
Remove from the heat and push the fruit through a fine nylon sieve into a bowl. Weigh the resulting purée and return it to a clean pan. Add an equal quantity of preserving sugar and stir over a low to medium heat until it has dissolved. Continue to cook for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the purée has reduced and thickened considerably to the consistency of jam and reached setting point.
Use a rubber spatula to scoop the purée into the prepared tin and leave to set for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Cover a baking sheet or tray with a sheet of non-stick baking parchment sprinkled liberally with caster sugar. Flip the pastille mixture out of the tin and on to the sugar-covered paper, and carefully peel off the backing paper. Cut into pastilles and toss in the caster sugar to coat completely. Leave to dry for 1 hour before packaging.
Stored in an airtight jar these pastilles will keep for 4–5 days.
Pink and white vanilla marshmallows
Homemade marshmallows are the stuff of dreams! They are light as pink fluffy clouds, oh-so-sweet and with just a hint of pure vanilla extract. Cut into squares and package into pretty pink- and white-striped bags for hen nights, girly birthday parties and Valentine's Day treats.
Makes about 30
1 tablespoon icing sugar
1 tablespoon cornflour
2 tablespoons powdered gelatine
400g granulated sugar
50g golden syrup
2 large egg whites
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pink food colouring paste
Mix the icing sugar and cornflour in a small bowl. Lightly grease a 23cm square tin with a depth of about 5cm with a little sunflower oil and dust with the icing sugar and cornflour mix, tipping out and reserving the excess.
Measure 6 tablespoons of cold water into another small bowl, sprinkle over the gelatine and set aside.
Tip the sugar into a medium-sized pan, add 250ml water and the golden syrup and place the pan over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to the boil and continue to cook steadily until the syrup reaches 120C/250F on a sugar thermometer. Remove from the heat, add the sponged gelatine and stir until thoroughly combined and the gelatine has melted.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add a pinch of salt and whisk until the whites hold a stiff peak. Add the vanilla and the hot gelatine syrup in a steady stream and continue to whisk for a further 3–4 minutes, until the mixture will hold a ribbon trail when the beaters are lifted from the bowl.
Pour half the mixture into the prepared tin in an even layer. Add a tiny amount of pink food colouring paste to the remaining mixture and stir until evenly coloured. Pour the pink marshmallow over the white and leave to set (at least 2 hours).
Once the marshmallow has completely set, dust the work surface or a board with the remaining icing sugar and cornflour mixture. Carefully tip the marshmallow out on to the prepared board and cut into squares, using a sharp knife. Dust the individual marshmallows before packaging.
Package in striped paper bags. Stored in an airtight box, the marshmallows will keep for 3 days.
