Ingredients
Syrup
- 800 gsugar
- 300 mlwater
- 1 tbsplemon juice
Starch
- 120 gcornflour
- 1 tspcream of tartar
- 400 mlwater
Flavour
- 2 tbsprose water
- or 1 tbsp lemon juice and zest
- a drop of colouring, optional
Additions
- 150 gwalnuts or pistachios, lightly toasted
To coat
- 100 gicing sugar
- 50 gcornflour
Equipment
- a sugar thermometer
- a lined square tin
Directions
- Boil the sugar, water and lemon juice to 115°C (240°F), the soft ball stage. The lemon juice inverts some of the sugar and stops it crystallising, and without it the finished ratluk turns grainy within days.
- Use a thermometer and be exact, because a syrup below temperature never sets and one above turns hard. Whisk it completely smooth while cold, because cornflour into hot liquid seizes into lumps you will never remove.
- Cook this over a medium heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens into a thick white paste. It will go from milky liquid to a stiff gluey paste quite suddenly, which is correct.
- Add the syrup gradually and keep whisking. Now turn the heat to its lowest and cook it for 60 to 90 minutes, stirring often. Stir it every few minutes and scrape the base, because it catches easily. Take it off the heat and stir in the rose water and the nuts.
- Add the rose water off the heat, because it is volatile and long boiling drives the perfume away. Too much rose water and it tastes of soap, which is the line every version of this sweet walks.
- Pour it into a tin lined with paper and dusted with cornflour, and level the surface. Now leave it uncovered at room temperature for at least 12 hours, and a full day is better.
- Turn it out and cut it into cubes with an oiled knife. Oil the blade and wipe it between cuts, or the gel drags and tears. Toss the cubes in a mixture of icing sugar and cornflour until every face is coated. The cornflour in the coating is what stops them sticking to each other.
Technique
- The texture should yield softly and never be rubbery, which comes down to the long slow cooking.
- Cream of tartar is insurance against crystallisation alongside the lemon juice.
- Slatko, spoon fruit preserve, is the other sweet offered to guests in the same way.
Substitutions
- Any toasted nut, or none at all.
- Lemon or mastic in place of rose water.
Variations
- With walnuts, which is the Macedonian standard.
- Flavoured with mastic or lemon.
- Plain, with no nuts.
History
Turkish delight kept in Macedonian homes as the sweet offered to guests alongside coffee and water.
Frequently asked questions
What is Ratluk?
Ratluk is a dessert from North Macedonia: soft rose or walnut jelly cubes rolled in sugar, served with coffee. Turkish delight kept in Macedonian homes as the sweet offered to guests alongside coffee and water.
How long does Ratluk take to make?
Ratluk takes 20 min plus 12 hr setting of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 40 pieces. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Ratluk?
Yes, within limits. Any toasted nut, or none at all. Lemon or mastic in place of rose water.
What is the most important thing to get right in Ratluk?
Use a thermometer and be exact, because a syrup below temperature never sets and one above turns hard. Whisk it completely smooth while cold, because cornflour into hot liquid seizes into lumps you will never remove.
