Simple Sesame Halva

Ingredients:

300g sugar
120ml water
juice of half a lemon
350g tahini (sesame seed paste) beaten until smooth
your choice of flavourings (vanilla extract, coffee, chocolate, ground green cardamom, pistachio nuts etc)

Method:

Combine the sugar, water and lemon juice in a pan. Bring to a boil and continue boiling until the mixture reaches 115°C (the Soft Ball stage). Take off the heat and allow the syrup to cool, undisturbed for a few minutes.

Meanwhile beat the tahini in a bowl until smooth then warm to about 50);C in a bain marie (double boiler. Now beat your choice of flavouring into the syrup mix then add the warmed tahini to the syrup mix, beating all the while.

Pour the mixture into a cake tin lined with greaseproof paper and set aside to cool. Once cold place in the refrigerator for 24 hours (this allows the sugar crystals, which give halva its characteristic flavour, to form). Cut with a sharp knife, wrap in greaseproof paper and store in an air-tight tin (kept this way halva will keep for several weeks, though you are guaranteed to have eaten it before then!).