Today is
National Toasted Marshmallow Day.
Marshmallows date back to ancient Egypt. Pharaohs used to eat the sweet extract that comes from squeezing mallow plants. It wasn't until the 19th century that marshmallows evolved into the treats we know today.
Toasted Marshmallows are a major ingredient in
S'mores. If you've been reading this blog, you know I'm a big
S'mores Fan. Recently I did a
S'mores Wrap Up that included lots of recipes for these wonderful campfire and now haute cuisine treat! So many ways to prepare
S'mores from Cupcakes to Bars to Pie--and, of course, the humble Girl Scout S'mores.
Chocolate is a major ingredient of
S'mores, so choose the very best chocolate. That being said, one of the other 'big' ingredients is
Marshmallows, and they should be
Toasted, preferably on an open fire, but toasted is toasted, and you can always use a kitchen torch. It's essential to
S'mores to toast these guys. Saying that, you should also have a good marshmallow, and
homemade marshmallows are the best. Perhaps you like them straight out of the package, but if you want to try your hand at something unique and sublime, here's a great recipe from
The French Laundry Cookbook by Thomas Keller (Artisan)
HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOWS
Hint: Keep an eye on the mixer while beating because the marshmallow mixture tends to "walk" up the beaters to the motor. Scrape down frequently.
Yield: 12 large marshmallows
Ingredients:
3 envelopes of unflavored 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
Preparation:
1. In bowl of electric mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water. Soak for 10 minutes.
2. Combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water in small saucepan. Bring to boil and boil hard for 1 minute. Pour boiling syrup into gelatin and mix at high speed. Add salt and beat for 12 minutes. Add vanilla and incorporate into mixture. Scrape into 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 pan, take another piece of plastic wrap and press mixture into pan.
3. Let mixture sit for few hours. Remove from pan, dredge marshmallow slab with confectioners' sugar and cut into 12 equal pieces with scissors (
best tool for the job) or a chef's knife. Dredge each piece of marshmallow in confectioners' sugar.
***
O.K. From the sublime to the ridiculous. No time to even toast a marshmallow today to celebrate
National Toasted Marshmallow Day? Pick up a handful of
Jelly Belly Jelly Beans Toasted Marshmallows. Yum!
Before the Shelter-in-Place Lockdown, I loved to take young out-of-towners to the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, CA. There you can see jelly bellies being made, tour the art exhibit, stop by the soda fountain, buy jelly bellies, and much more. When I first went to the factory, it was more open and low key. Now it's a bit more sterile and everything is behind glass walls. I'm sure that's better for production, safety, and quality, but I preferred the old way. Kind of like the Hershey Factory tours when I was little. I was sure someone would fall into a vat, and maybe they did. That was pre-Willy Wonka.
