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Yum!
I've been experimenting with marshmallows. They are very tasty, and really quite easy to do.
Because I couldn't find any recipes that I both particularly liked and that were formatted in such a way that printing the webpage actually, you know, included all the information (I'm looking at you, BBC Food (appears to have formatted the text to be two pages wide while not actually including the second page: argh, argh, what's the temperature of the sugar supposed to be?) and jamesmartinchef.co.uk (doesn't include the bloody ingredients....); I didn't even want to rely on Mr Fearnley-Miss-Out-A-Few-Steps, although actually his one looks ok and sensibly includes directions for both leaf and powder gelatine. Props to Delicious for including instructions on how to use different kinds of flavouring, although the absence of egg white in their recipe seems odd.), I cobbled together various recipes to get this one, which I shall record for posterity. Takes about an hour, although that may just be me: both the steps that are apparently supposed to take five to ten minutes (boiling the sugar, mixing it all together at the end) seem to be more like 15-20 for me. Only covers powdered gelatine, as that's what I had in the cupboard; I may try to tweak it to use a more sensible amount, as it's currently 1.333 sachets.
Because I'm a slacker, I chose not to separate half a dozen duck eggs in order to get two large egg whites. Carton egg white is a wonderful thing, I just wonder what to do with the rest of it.
Ingredients:
455g granulated sugar
1 tbsp / 15g liquid glucose (you can also use golden syrup or honey, apparently, but the recipe that said that used a lot more than a tablespoon of it)
200ml water
about 40ml egg white
16g powdered gelatine, soaked in 140ml liquid (water or flavoured)
icing sugar and cornflour, for dusting and coating
Flavouring:
Spices, coffee, chocolate, nuts, vanilla, liqueurs, berry fruit and citrus work well.
For fruit-flavoured marshmallows, use purées or fruit juices as the liquid for the gelatine to maximise the colour and flavour.
Spice flavour infusions work well. Use water as the liquid, then add cinnamon, star anise or other spices. Heat gently for 20 minutes, then strain and allow to cool before adding the gelatine.
Fatty flavours (such as nuts, cocoa powder or espresso) or alcoholic flavours (such as Baileys, or alcohol-based extracts such as vanilla or almond) reduce the volume of the mixture if added early, use water as the gelatine liquid and add the flavouring immediately before putting the mix in the baking tray.
You can, eg, pour out half the mix, add fruit to the top of it and then pour out the rest. Or colour/flavour half of it and have stripes.
Instructions:
1. Add the gelatine to the liquid and set aside to dissolve.
2. Line a baking tin c 20x20cm with cling film, and then lightly dust with sugar/corn flour.
3. Put the sugar, glucose and water in a pan and heat. It needs to reach 127C.
4. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peak.
5. Add the gelatine and liquid to the egg whites, keeping whisking.
6. Gradually pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites, keeping whisking. Try to avoid hitting the beater / side of the bowl, as it will set.
7. Keep whisking until the mixture thickens and holds its shape on the whisk.
8. Pour the mixture into the baking tray and leave somewhere cool for an hour or two. (Not the fridge.)
9. Lift the marshmallow out and cut up, coating in sugar / cornflour. Dip the knife in the dusting mix regularly to stop it sticking. It is very sticky. Leave to dry out for a little while then store in an air-tight container for up to two weeks.
Because I couldn't find any recipes that I both particularly liked and that were formatted in such a way that printing the webpage actually, you know, included all the information (I'm looking at you, BBC Food (appears to have formatted the text to be two pages wide while not actually including the second page: argh, argh, what's the temperature of the sugar supposed to be?) and jamesmartinchef.co.uk (doesn't include the bloody ingredients....); I didn't even want to rely on Mr Fearnley-Miss-Out-A-Few-Steps, although actually his one looks ok and sensibly includes directions for both leaf and powder gelatine. Props to Delicious for including instructions on how to use different kinds of flavouring, although the absence of egg white in their recipe seems odd.), I cobbled together various recipes to get this one, which I shall record for posterity. Takes about an hour, although that may just be me: both the steps that are apparently supposed to take five to ten minutes (boiling the sugar, mixing it all together at the end) seem to be more like 15-20 for me. Only covers powdered gelatine, as that's what I had in the cupboard; I may try to tweak it to use a more sensible amount, as it's currently 1.333 sachets.
Because I'm a slacker, I chose not to separate half a dozen duck eggs in order to get two large egg whites. Carton egg white is a wonderful thing, I just wonder what to do with the rest of it.
Ingredients:
455g granulated sugar
1 tbsp / 15g liquid glucose (you can also use golden syrup or honey, apparently, but the recipe that said that used a lot more than a tablespoon of it)
200ml water
about 40ml egg white
16g powdered gelatine, soaked in 140ml liquid (water or flavoured)
icing sugar and cornflour, for dusting and coating
Flavouring:
Spices, coffee, chocolate, nuts, vanilla, liqueurs, berry fruit and citrus work well.
For fruit-flavoured marshmallows, use purées or fruit juices as the liquid for the gelatine to maximise the colour and flavour.
Spice flavour infusions work well. Use water as the liquid, then add cinnamon, star anise or other spices. Heat gently for 20 minutes, then strain and allow to cool before adding the gelatine.
Fatty flavours (such as nuts, cocoa powder or espresso) or alcoholic flavours (such as Baileys, or alcohol-based extracts such as vanilla or almond) reduce the volume of the mixture if added early, use water as the gelatine liquid and add the flavouring immediately before putting the mix in the baking tray.
You can, eg, pour out half the mix, add fruit to the top of it and then pour out the rest. Or colour/flavour half of it and have stripes.
Instructions:
1. Add the gelatine to the liquid and set aside to dissolve.
2. Line a baking tin c 20x20cm with cling film, and then lightly dust with sugar/corn flour.
3. Put the sugar, glucose and water in a pan and heat. It needs to reach 127C.
4. Whisk the egg whites to stiff peak.
5. Add the gelatine and liquid to the egg whites, keeping whisking.
6. Gradually pour the sugar syrup into the egg whites, keeping whisking. Try to avoid hitting the beater / side of the bowl, as it will set.
7. Keep whisking until the mixture thickens and holds its shape on the whisk.
8. Pour the mixture into the baking tray and leave somewhere cool for an hour or two. (Not the fridge.)
9. Lift the marshmallow out and cut up, coating in sugar / cornflour. Dip the knife in the dusting mix regularly to stop it sticking. It is very sticky. Leave to dry out for a little while then store in an air-tight container for up to two weeks.