Marshmallow Goodness

The second turkey deep fry in a little over a month…  who knew my life would take this deep frying trajectory?  I’m off to celebrate winter with friends and turkey and was contemplating what little fun something or other to bring and last night it hit me:  Marshmallows.  I forgot how fun they are to whip up.  If you haven’t made them, dust that mixer off and treat yourself.  It is like magic.

The first time I really ever remember being inspired to make marshmallows was a few years ago after reading an article in Bon Appetit (http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2008/07/cooking_life_fluff_piece).  Soon after the magazine arrived at my door, my very best friend called me up and was so excited that she and her husband had just made these great fluffy and delicious sweets after reading the same article.  I trekked on over and wow… those pillowy clouds of goodness were amazing.  I’m not a huge marshmallow fan, but these were not your average Jet-Puffeds.  I had to try.

There are several recipes out there, but they are all basically the same  - sugar, water, gelatin.  Wikipedia tells me that they used to be made with the gummy extract of Althaea officinalis  (a Marsh Mallow flower indigenous to Africa and similar to the Marsh Mallow we can see here in the states), but these days, gelatin does the trick quite nicely.  They may no longer have the medicinal properties they once had when made with the herb, but take a moment to consider the placebo effect; really, how can such a grand smile-inducer not be good for you?

 I’ve been tempted to kick them up a notch with liquors, but haven’t quite got there yet (I have read that gin instead of the water makes for excellent marshmallows, but something in me just can’t quite do it yet – the originals are just so good all by themselves…  maybe for my next Christmas party).  When you start whipping the hot sugar into the softened gelatin, prepare to be amazed.  The mixture goes from what looks like a mess to a wonderfully satiny soft glossy creaminess.  The whole cooking process, start to finish, takes less than 20 minutes.   Let that mixture stand for a few hours to set up, and voila.  The best marshmallows you will ever have are right there in your own kitchen. 

Recipe:

Ingredients

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
• 1 cup water, divided
• ¾ C sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• Nonstick spray or enough veg/conola oil to coat the pan

Directions  

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of warm water.  In a small suacepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Place over medium high heat, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan, and continue to cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F (This doesn't take long, so keep an eye on it!). Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat. 

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the hot sugar down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick- approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping, combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Coat a 13 x 9  dish with oil – or better yet – oil and then coat with oiled parchment paper because they are hard to get out of the dish even with oil. 

When the mixture is ready, pour the yummy goodness into the oiled pan.  Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered until they don’t stick to your finger when touched (a good 4 hours (maybe less) would do).

Turn the marshmallows out onto a corn starch/powdered sugar mixture coated cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture (or an oiled pizza wheel works nicely too - or simply use a sharp knife oiled or dusted). Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional dusting powder if necessary.  Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks or freeze for a few months.  Really, just eat them immediately and you'll be happy.

Enjoy.