Ingredient: ground cinnamon & cardamom spice

Anyone following my blog is well aware of my love for rhubarb. I think I’ve tried to use it in every capacity possible. Well, get ready for my next adventure — rhubarb Turkish delight! I refrain from eating a lot of chocolate bars, not that I don’t enjoy them, but seriously –. In Canada, the Nestle company sells a chocolate bar called ‘Big Turk’ for which Turkish delight forms the basic foundation. Of course, I love it!

Just a bit of food history background on the subject first. The Turkish name for the sweet comes from the Arabic rahat-ul hulkum which means ‘soothe or heal the throat’. This was abbreviated to rahat lokum and then lokum. The name ‘Turkish Delight’ was coined in the 18th century to make it easier to pronounce. As an improvement on the original recipe of honey or molasses, a mixture of water, flour, cornstarch and refined beet sugar were used to make a firm, chewy jelly.

Little has changed in the last 240 years. Although there are more than 24 different flavors, the biggest seller that still remains is a plain jelly studded with pistachios. Traditional Middle Eastern flavors include rose-pistachio, orange-blossom walnut, mint and rose-lemon.

Back to the rhubarb. Somewhere in my travels, I came across a recipe for rhubarb truffles that peeked my interest. After more research, I decided why not go right out on a limb and test my skills at making some rhubarb/rose Turkish delight. Actually, the end result was not bad. I have acquired a taste for the use of floral water in baking, Brion, not so much. It has to be used very sparingly or it becomes overpowering. I made three versions: Turkish delight plain or covered in white chocolate and a rhubarb truffle. A bit time consuming but a very unique flavor.

Print Recipe

Rhubarb/Rose Turkish Delights & Chocolates

Votes: 1
Rating: 5
You:

Rate this recipe!

Course

dessert, Finger Food Buffet

Cuisine

American, European, Middle Eastern, Moroccan

Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

Rhubarb/Rose Turkish Delight

• 1 1/2 cups cold water, divided
• 1 cup fine granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb, washed, drained & chopped into small pieces
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp gelatin powder
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp rose water (adjust to personal taste)
• pink food color gel
• 250 grams white chocolate for dipping
• almonds, sliced or chopped

Rhubarb Cream Cheese Truffles

• 55 grams white chocolate chunks
• 1/3 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs
• 1/2 cup stewed rhubarb
• 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 Tbsp powdered icing sugar
• 1/8 tsp EACH ground cinnamon & cardamom spice
• 55 grams cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 tsp orange zest
• pinch of salt
• 250 grams milk chocolate for dipping

Course dessert, Finger Food Buffet Cuisine American, European, Middle Eastern, Moroccan Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients Rhubarb/Rose Turkish Delight 1 1/2 cups cold water, divided 1 cup fine granulated sugar 2 1/2 cups fresh rhubarb, washed, drained & chopped into small pieces 1 lemon, juiced 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp gelatin powder 2 Tbsp cornstarch 1 Tbsp rose water (adjust to personal taste) pink food color gel 250 grams white chocolate for dipping almonds, sliced or chopped Rhubarb Cream Cheese Truffles 55 grams white chocolate chunks 1/3 cup gingersnap cookie crumbs 1/2 cup stewed rhubarb 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 Tbsp powdered icing sugar 1/8 tsp EACH ground cinnamon & cardamom spice 55 grams cream cheese, softened 1/2 tsp orange zest pinch of salt 250 grams milk chocolate for dipping

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

Rhubarb/Rose Turkish Delight

1. In a saucepan, put 1 1/4 cups water with sugar, rhubarb & lemon juice. Cook over low heat , stirring until sugar has dissolved, then increase the heat a little; simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat; leave the rhubarb to infuse for 10 minutes, then pass through a sieve, reserving the juice & pulp separately (the pulp can be used in the truffles that follow).
2. Line a baking dish with cling film (the size will depend on how thick you want your candy) & set aside. In a small dish, blend cornstarch with remaining 1/4 cup water until smooth. In a saucepan, add rhubarb juice, gelatin powder, dissolved cornstarch & heat gently, stirring until gelatin has dissolved, then bring to a rolling boil.
3. Keep mixture at a steady rolling boil, stirring constantly, for about 12-14 minutes or until syrup reaches a soft ball stage. Cool slightly & then pour mixture into lined baking dish. Allow to cool at room temperature for about 12 hours or until the mixture is set; do not refrigerate.
4. Once the jelly is set, cut into pieces. Combine 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 2 Tbsp powdered sugar in a bowl, then roll the jellies in this mixture to coat them. Keep jellies in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 3 days; do not refrigerate. If you want to dip some of your jellies as I did, I found using a mini ice cube tray as a mold was helpful. I just set the piece of jelly in each cup & poured the white chocolate over & around it. Can be frozen until needed.

Rhubarb Cream Cheese Truffles

1. In a double boiler over medium heat, melt 55 grams of white chocolate chunks. Transfer to a bowl; add remaining ingredients EXCEPT milk chocolate & beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth. Cover & chill until solid enough to roll or scoop into balls.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt milk chocolate. drop balls of rhubarb/cream cheese mixture, one at a time, into milk chocolate to coat. Carefully remove onto parchment paper & allow to harden. Can be frozen as well until needed.

   
3. 

Recipe Notes

• I also tried freezing the plain jellies without putting cornstarch/sugar mixture on them and it worked fine. They were actually nice tasting right out of the freezer.