Kruševo lokum

Method

1. Line a 20 cm square tin with baking paper and brush it with oil. Set it beside the hob; once the lokum is ready it stiffens fast.
2. Put the sugar, the 350 ml of water and the citric acid in a heavy-based pan. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then boil without stirring for about 12 minutes, until a drop tipped into cold water forms a firm ball.
3. Shake the 140 g of starch with the 500 ml of cold water in a jar until there is not a single lump left. A lump now becomes a hard bead in the finished sweet.
4. Whisk the starch mixture into the hot syrup. It will seize and turn pale; keep whisking over medium heat until it thickens.
5. Turn the heat to its lowest and cook for 1 to 1.5 hours, stirring with a wooden spoon every ten minutes. It is done when it is amber, glossy, and pulls away from the base of the pan in one mass.
6. Stir in the walnuts, and the rose water if you are using it, then pour into the tin and smooth the top with an oiled spatula. Leave it uncovered at room temperature for a full day.
7. Turn out, cut into 2.5 cm cubes with an oiled knife, and toss them in the icing sugar mixed with the 30 g of cornflour. The Kruševo makers say it is at its best after a fortnight, when a thin crust has formed.