← Nouns Cooking · Dessert Parlour

Ingredients

• 600 g granulated sugar
• 200 ml water, for the syrup
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 120 g cornflour, for the paste
• 600 ml cold water, for the paste
• 1½ tbsp Rose water, or to taste
• flavourless oil, for the tin
• 4 tbsp icing sugar, for dusting
• 4 tbsp cornflour, for dusting

Method

1. Oil a 20 cm square tin and line it with oiled baking paper.
2. Heat the sugar, 200 ml water and lemon juice in a heavy pan, stirring until dissolved. Then boil without stirring until it reaches 115°C (240°F) on a sugar thermometer, about 10–15 min. Take off the heat.
3. In a second large pan, whisk the 120 g cornflour with the 600 ml cold water until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it turns into a very thick, glue-like paste.
4. Slowly pour the hot syrup into the paste, whisking hard until smooth. Lumps will whisk out.
5. Turn the heat to low and cook for about 1 hour, stirring well every 5 min, until the mixture is thick, glossy, pale golden and pulls away from the pan in one sticky mass.
6. Stir in the rose water and a few drops of pink food colouring if you like, then pour into the tin and smooth the top. Leave uncovered at room temperature overnight to set.
7. Mix the icing sugar and cornflour. Dust the worktop, turn out the slab, cut into cubes with an oiled knife and toss them in the sugar mix.

Tips

• Hot sugar syrup causes bad burns: use a deep pan, a long whisk and keep children away.
• Store in a box with extra dusting sugar between layers; it keeps for about two weeks. Don't refrigerate.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Good Food 196 flavors