About 2 dozen 1 1/2-inch mallows
The Bloom
1/2 cup strained strawberry puree – * If seeds bug you, take the extra
step and strain the puree through a fine-mesh sieve. One 10-ounce bag of frozen berries will yield enough strained puree for these marshmallows.
2 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons unflavored powdered gelatin
The Syrup
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup, divided
1/3 cup strained strawberry puree
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
The Mallowing
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries – * Find these firm, brittle, flavorpacked
gems at natural-food stores under the brand name “Just Strawberries.” Throwing a small handful into a food processor with Classic Coating makes for a pretty pink color.
1/2 cup Classic Coating (see below)
Classic Coating
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 cup cornstarch or potato starch
Sift the ingredients together in a large bowl or combine them in a food processor. I tend to make several cups’ worth at a time and store it in an airtight container; it keeps forever.
Classic Coating with nothing added will work on every recipe in this book. You can also use plain cornstarch or potato starch.
Coatings are a great way to add flavor and texture and to personalize your mallows. When the basic coating is made, scoop out what you need for a recipe and add a myriad of flavors using a whisk (or food processor for ingredients that need to be finely ground). You’ll find that the recipes in this book call
for either adding different spices or other ingredients into the coating or forgoing it in favor of coating with things like shredded toasted coconut, ground nuts, or graham cracker crumbs.
DIRECTIONS
Lightly coat an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Whisk together the strawberry puree and water in a small heatproof bowl. Whisk in the gelatin and let it soften for 10 minutes.
Stir together the sugar, 1/4 cup of the corn syrup, strawberry puree, water, and salt in a large saucepan over high heat. Boil until it reaches 240°F; while the syrup is cooking, use a rigid heatproof spatula to stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pan to keep the syrup from burning. This syrup has a tendency to boil up high in the pan, so be prepared to adjust the heat to prevent it from bubbling over. Meanwhile, pour the remaining 1/4 cup corn syrup into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Microwave the gelatin on high until completely melted, about 30 seconds. Pour it into the corn syrup. Set the mixer to low and keep it running.
When the syrup reaches 240°F, slowly pour it into the mixer bowl. If any syrup has burned on the bottom of the pan, don’t fret—just don’t scrape any into the batter. Increase the speed to medium and beat for 5 minutes. Increase to medium-high and beat for 5 to 7 more minutes, adding the vanilla in the last minute. The finished marshmallow will be tripled in volume. Fold in the freeze-dried strawberries. Pour it into the prepared pan, using an offset spatula to smooth it into the corners. Sift the coating generously over top. Let it set for at least 8 hours.
Use a knife to loosen the marshmallow from the edges of the pan. Invert the slab onto a coating-dusted work surface and dust it with more coating. Cut it into pieces and dip the sticky edges in more coating, patting off the excess.
Copyright © 2012 by Shauna Sever. Photographs © 2012 by Leigh Beisch.
Marshmallow Madness!: Dozens of Puffalicious Recipes by Shauna Sever
Published: Feb 28, 2012 by Quirk Books
ISBN: 9781594745720
Price: $18.95
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