Sophisticated Rocky Road

One of my favourite childhood memories was a family holiday to Cyprus over an entire summer visiting multitudes of relatives.  We borrowed my pappou's dilapidated baby blue Volkswagon (beetle) traversing the south of the island from Limassol to Paphos, sometimes with up to 10 people inside.  We sat lap upon lap, faces pressed against the window.  It was a perilous adventure!  Another enduring memory of that trip was the scent of rosewater.  My dear late maternal giagia loved spritzing it on herself before making the ascent to the village church in her Sunday best or taking the 4 a.m. bus into the poli (city).  She used it liberally in her desserts and would drink it as a cordial and serve it to her guests.  It came in a pretty clear glass bottle.  I detested it, thinking it too perfumey.   I would ask for orange cordial instead and refuse her sweets.  Quelle dommage!

But with the passage of time, our palates thankfully change and become more sophisticated (well at least they should!).  And I now love rosewater, particularly in Turkish Delight.  It features in this recipe for Rocky Road.  If you want to give it a yuletide look, use pistachios instead of walnuts.  This is also for Nat, my son's kinder teacher, who has been hankering for it since Christmas last year!

200g milk chocolate, broken up into pieces
100g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, broken up into pieces
150g combination of marshmallows and Turkish Delight
100g walnuts, roasted and coarsely chopped
100g roasted, shredded coconut
40g glace cherries, chopped

Melt the chocolate over a double boiler.  Remove from heat once melted and add all other ingredients, mixing thoroughly.  Spread onto greased lamington tray smoothing surface with a spatula.  Chill in fridge till set (about an hour).  Once set cut into shapes approximating squares.   Give liberally to the lovely teachers of your children!