Home made Marsh Mallows

I made these last night after the kids had gone to bed, Its based on a James Martin recipe and it is really easy and really satisfying to hand cut your very own creamy, soft,  bouncy Marsh mallow.  They also make lovely gifts or perfect skewered with fresh fruit and a hot chocolate dipping sauce

It is basically Italian meringue set with gelatine and lightly flavoured with vanilla.  Don’t be put off by the words Italian Meringue, don’t be put off by the sugar thermometer, if you like cooking give it a go, I was a mallow virgin too!

Ingredients

• Makes about 45 marsh mallows
• 4 ½  sheets  leaf gelatine
• 225 g caster sugar
• 1 small tbsp liquid glucose
• 100 ml water
• 1 large egg whites
• Little splash vanilla extract
• icing sugar
• cornflour
• Red food colouring

- Lightly oil a shallow baking tray, about 20 x 10cm and dust it with sieved icing sugar and cornflour.

- Knock out any excess

- Soak the gelatine in 70ml cold water. I added one at a time till all the leafs were soft and in the small amount of water.

- Put the sugar, glucose and water into a heavy-based pan. Bring to the boil and continue cooking for about 12-15 minutes  until the mixture reaches 127C on a sugar thermometer.

- When the syrup is up to temperature, carefully slide in the softened gelatine sheets  one at a time and their soaking water into the syrup.

- Watch out it will bubble up so take. Pour the syrup into a heat proof jug.

- Whisk the egg white until stiff, preferably with an electric whisk in a mixing bowl, but i used a hand whisk. Continue whisking while slowly pouring in the hot syrup.

- The mixture will become shiny and start to thicken. Add the vanilla extract and continue whisking for a good 10 minutes, the mixture will become so  stiff it will hold its shape on the whisk.

- Spoon ½ the mixture into one end of the prepared tin.  Add a splash of red food colouring to the other half and whisk for another minute.

- Spoon the pink marsh mallow into the other end and smooth with a wet palette knife if necessary.

- Leave for a couple of hours to set.

- Dust the work surface with icing sugar and cornflour.

- Loosen the marshmallow around the sides of the tray with a palette knife, and then turn it out on to the dusted surface.

- Cut into squares and roll in the sugar and cornflour.

- Store the marshmallows in an airtight container.  I am not sure for how long it would last as I only made mine last night but I don’t think they will last that long anyway When I told Molly this morning there was Home made marsh mallow down stairs she did her excited dance, a bit like the Hakka only faster!!

Tags: Catering, Food, Marsh Mallows, recipe