Making marshmallows was the bribe to get Owen to finish his homework* on Thursday night, as I'd recently read this by Molly Wizenberg, which made it seem totally doable. (Interesting piece. I love Orangette, but she and I are cut from different cloth. If I'd come home and found my boyfriend making marshmallows, I would have put on a game face but been deeply bummed. I'm more of this type.)To make our marshmallows, I chose a recipe from Ina Garten. In short, you pour boiling sugar syrup into a bowl of softened gelatin then beat the hell out of it for fifteen minutes, preferably in a stand mixer. Spread the fluff in a pan and let it dry overnight.
In the morning, cut into squares and dust with powdered sugar. I don't even like marhsmallows, but ate a bunch of these because they were so irresistibly fluffy.
Fun project. Highly recommend.
*Homework was a description of someone "important" in his life. He chose me. His opening line: "My mom has brown hair and small brown eyes. "
Emphasis mine.
So, we've been trying to figure out a way to make our own chocolate marshmallow ice cream, and we want a fluffy marshmallow swirl, not a hard, chewy swirl--I posited the use of homemade marshmallows, but we've never made them.
ReplyDeleteWill this work as a fluffy ice cream inclusion? I've wanted to make marshmallows forever, but wondered if they were worth the effort. I'm glad to hear they are.
I think this would work great as a fluffy inclusion, especially if you put in before the overnight-drying.
ReplyDeleteThough I wonder how it would freeze.
I've made a couple of batches of homemade marshmallows and have noticed that I don't have to beat them anywhere near 15 minutes. Perhaps it's because I have a hand mixer, which (it's my impression) works a lot faster than a stand mixer.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you could make marshmallow "creme" by using less gelatin?
Laura, You know what I think it is? I bet when you're holding a hand mixer you get bored and notice when the marshmallow is ready and then stop. When you turn on a stand you just go away and come back in 15 minutes when in fact it was probably done in seven.
ReplyDeleteMy mouth is watering. I never understood the fad a few years ago when fancy restaurants served home-made marshmellows. Suddenly I want to try some---with the lovely brown-haired Tipsy Baker with Great Eyes!
ReplyDeleteMom
Catching up, so a few posts behind. But can I just come to Owen's defense here? Rejecting outright the possibility of accuracy in his description and discounting the possibility of what I'll call the imp factor in this particular case, I think we're dealing with what's drummed relentlessly into us boys from the time we are boys. Never say "big" in relation to "girl"; and if big is bad, small must be safe (even good!?). On the other hand, I'll admit I think I recognize in his photo a kindred impishness.
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