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Homemade Marshmallows
photo: gourmetsleuth.com shown with pistachio lemon
shortbread. Pot de creme set by Fitz & Floyd, circa 1970's.
Homemade Marshmallows
Maida Heatter's Book of Great Cookies by Maida Heatter (Random House)I N G R E D I E N T S
*Vegetable shortening (Crisco recommended) for
preparing the pan
1 cup cold water
3 tablespoons (3 envelopes) unflavored gelatin
2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Confectioners sugar (for coating the marshmallows)
I N
S T R U C T I O N S
1. Prepare a 9 x 13 x 2 inch pan as follows. Invert the pan. Cut a piece
of aluminum foil long enough to cover the bottom and sides of the pan.
Place the foil over the inverted pan and fold down the sides and corners
just to shape. Remove the foil and turn the pan right side up. Place the
foil in the pan and press it gently into place. With a pastry brush or
crumpled wax paper coat the foil thoroughly but lightly with vegetable
shortening. Set aside.
2. Place 1/2 cup cold water in the large bowl of an electric mixer,
Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface of the water and set aside.
3. Place the sugar, corn syrup, salt and the other 1/2 cup water in a
heavy 1-1/2 quart or 2 quart saucepan over moderately low heat. Stir
until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil. Cover for
3 minutes to allow any sugar crystals on the sides of the saucepan to
dissolve. Uncover, raise the heat to high, insert a candy thermometer,
and let the syrup boil without stirring until the temperature reaches
240 degrees. Do not overcook. Remove from the heat.
4. Beating constantly at medium speed, pour the syrup slowly into the
gelatin mixture. After all the syrup has been added, increase the speed
to high and beat for 15 minutes until the mixture is lukewarm, snowy
white, and the consistency of whipped marshmallow, adding the vanilla a
few minutes before the end of the beating. (During the beating,
occasionally scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula. The marshmallow will
thicken and become sticky -- if the mixture crawls up on the beaters as
it thickens, carefully wipe it down with a rubber spatula.)
5. Pour the slightly warm and thick marshmallow mixture into the
prepared pan and, with your forefinger, scrape all the mixture off the
beaters. Smooth the top of the marshmallow.
6. Let stand uncovered at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours or longer
if it is more convenient.
7. Then sift or strain confectioners sugar generously onto a large
cutting board to cover a surface larger then your pan. Invert the
marshmallow over the sugared surface. Remove the pan and peel off the
foil. Strain confectioners sugar generously over the top of the
marshmallow.
8. To cut into even 1 inch strips use a ruler and toothpicks to mark it
every 1 inch.
9. Prepare a long, heavy, sharp knife by brushing the blade lightly with
vegetable shortening. Cutting down firmly with the full length of the
blade, cut the marshmallow into 1 inch strips. (After cutting the first
slice, just keep the blade sugared to keep it from sticking.)
10. Dip the cut sides of each strip into confectioners sugar to coat
them thoroughly -- you should have enough excess sugar on the board to
do this.
11. Now cut each strip into 1 inch squares. (You may place three strips
together and cut through them all at once.) Roll the marshmallows in the
sugar to coat the remaining sides. Shake off excess sugar.
12. Store in a plastic box or any airtight container -- or plastic bag.
Yield: makes 1 pound, 10 ounces of marshmallows
Marshmallow Peeps Recipe
Martha Stewart offers a recipe for making your own
homemade marshmallow peeps
1959 campfire marshmallow ad |
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Marshmallow
History
The name
marshmallow refers both to the sugary confection as well as to a plant. The
'mallow' plant (Althea Officinalis) is common in Europe. The leaves and
roots are both edible but it is the mucilaginous substance from the root
from which the early marshmallows were made. Today however the root is no
longer used and has been replaced commercially with a gum arabic
solution or at home with gelatin.
The earliest use of the mallow plant to make a confection dates back to the
Egyptians. "The first marshmallows were made by boiling pieces of the
marsh mallow root pulp with sugar until it thickened. After is had
thickened, the mixture was strained and cooled. As far back as 2000BC,
Egyptians combined the marsh mallow root with honey. The candy was reserved
for gods and royalty."
The modern version most similar to what we see today was first made in
France around 1850 and was called pate de guimauve.
Marshmallows were made with the mallow root sap, gelatin, egg whites, corn
syrup and water. The boiled mixture was placed in special molds coated
in corn starch (to prevent sticking). This process was laborious so the
manufacturing technique was changed in the 1900's with the invention of the
"starch mogul system".
image by don johnson - box of campfire brand
marshmallows from the 1940's to 1950's.
The marshmallow became very popular in the U.S. from the 1930's to the
1960's. Early on they were a child's candy but later they were seen in
cookbooks used for topping cocoa, dessert topping and even in salads.
In 1955 there were over 30 marshmallow manufactures in the U.S. Thanks to
one Alex Doumak, marshmallow production change to an extrusion process which
made for rapid, low cost production of the product still sold today.
campfire marshmallow ad 1927 image by:
loaps
Marshmallows Recipe
By the famous
French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller (Artisan)
I N G R E D I E N T S
3 envelopes of Knox gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cups corn syrup
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Confectioners' sugar for dredging
I N
S T R U C T I O N S
In the bowl of an electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water.
Soak for 10 minutes. Combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in a small
saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute. Pour boiling syrup
into gelatin and mix at high speed. Add the salt and beat for 12 minutes.
Add vanilla and incorporate into mixture. Scrape into a 9 x 9-inch pan lined
with oiled plastic wrap and spread evenly. (Note: Lightly oil hands and
spatula or bowl scraper). After pouring marshmallow mixture into the pan,
take another piece of plastic wrap and press mixture into the pan.
Let mixture sit for a few hours. Remove from pan, dredge the marshmallow
slab with confectioners' sugar and cut into 12 equal pieces with scissors
(the best tool for the job) or a chef's knife. Dredge each piece of
marshmallow in confectioners' sugar.
Marshmallow Flavoring
Use marshmallow flavoring
for making candy, cakes or other desserts
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