Book Synopsis
Journeys to the end of the world, fantastic creatures, and epic battles between good and evil—what more could any reader ask for in one book? The book that has it all is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, written in 1949 by Clive Staples Lewis. But Lewis did not stop there. Six more books followed, and together they became known as The Chronicles of Narnia.
For the past fifty years, The Chronicles of Narnia have transcended the fantasy genre to become part of the canon of classic literature. Each of the seven books is a masterpiece, drawing the reader into a land where magic meets reality, and the result is a fictional world whose scope has fascinated generations.
This edition presents all seven books—unabridged—in one impressive volume. The books are presented here in chronological order, each chapter graced with an illustration by the original artist, Pauline Baynes. Deceptively simple and direct, The Chronicles of Narnia continue to captivate fans with adventures, characters, and truths that speak to readers of all ages, even fifty years after they were first published.
‘It is dull, Son of Adam, to drink without eating,’’ said the Queen presently. ‘‘What would you like best to eat?’’
“Turkish Delight, please, your Majesty,” said Edmund.
The Queen let another drop fall from her bottle on to the snow, and instantly there appeared a round box, tied with green silk ribbon, which, when opened, turned out to contain several pounds of the best Turkish Delight. Each piece was sweet and light to the very centre and Edmund had never tasted anything more delicious. He was quite warm now, and very comfortable.
-The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
A world of the fantastical, adventure, creatures and epic battles. All of which can be found in the saga of Chronicles of Narnia. I have included a recipe from the website www.inliterature.net that covers the Narnia/Turkish Delight connection. If you haven’t been to that site, you should. She makes such fun book/food connections.
Turkish Delight | The Chronicles of Narnia; The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
Cook time 1 hour
Total time 1 hour
Author: Bryt@InLiterature.net
Ingredients
- 380g / 1.9c white sugar
- 455 ml water
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 95g/ ¾c cornflour
- 150 ml water
- 1 cup pistachios
- ½ tsp rosewater essence (or 2-4 tsp rosewater)
- a drop of rose food coloring
- Icing sugar for dusting
- Butter or oil (for greasing)
- a bowl of cold water
Instructions
- Start by buttering a square casserole pan measuring 20cm by 20cm.
- In one medium sized saucepan, pour in the white sugar, cream of tartar and the 455ml of water. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
- While you let the sugar come to a boil, in another saucepan, (same size or slightly smaller) stir together the cornflour and 200ml of water. Note: do not start mixing this cornflour mixture until after you’ve finished stirring the sugar. If you start the cornflour too soon, the mixture will clump together into a large mass and won’t dissolve properly later.
- Whisk the cornflour and water until it’s a smooth paste, then add it straight away to the sugar mixture.
- Whisk the cornflour mixture into the sugar syrup over medium heat for a minute or two. Once the sugar mixture comes to a boil, turn down the heat to low.
- Grab a wooden spoon (and a seat) and continue to stir continuously in the same direction for the next 40-50 minutes. You’ll know the mixture is ready for testing when the sugar mixture is thick and clearly pulls away from the edges of the pan.
- Scoop a little bit of the mixture and drop it into the cool water. The mixture will stay together but is very soft to the touch.
- Pour in the flavour first, then the rose colour. Stir for another minute over heat, then turn off the stove. Stir in the pistachios and scoop the mixture into the casserole dish.
- Use a spoon to spread it out, then leave to cool on the counter.
- Sprinkle icing sugar onto a cutting board and onto the top of the turkish delight.
- Turn the Turkish Delight out onto the board and use a long sharp knife to slice, sprinkling icing sugar over the knife between each cut to keep from sticking.
- Sprinkle more icing sugar over the Turkish Delight to coat before serving.
- Turkish Delight can be stored in a container at room temperature with a cloth dishtowel over the top.
Notes*Instead of butter you can use an oil, but make sure it has a pleasant or minimal flavour.
*Prep your ingredients before you start.
*Continuously stir. It’s not as difficult as it sounds– the time goes quickly!
Turkish Delight recipe adapted from Felicity Cloake’s The Guardian article https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/dec/10/how-to-make-the-perfect-turkish-delight
