marshmallows!

I had been looking for a marshmallow recipe for a while now and finally found the one I wanted to do in Jam it, Pickle it, Cure it by Karen Solomon. Why Jam it, Pickle it, Cure it and why marshmallows? Because the title is Jam it, Pickle it, Cure it and because marshmallows are going to be my 2009 Christmas/ Hanukkah gifts! And although this is a Jam it, Pickle it, Cure it recipe, the results are pure Martha. Check it out.

Karen Solomon's version:

our version:

(What I lack in three toasted-coconut-flake covered marshmallows, I make up for in awesome Weck jars.)

As much as I try to steer clear of corn syrup in my regular, non-bon appetempt life, I couldn't find a recipe for these guys that didn't call for it. Anyone know of how to bypass corn syrup in marshmallows? I'd love to know. Also, I bought a gadget. After our red wine caramel apple non-success, I thought it was time to get a candy thermometer. Here it is clipped on to the pan of water, sugar, corn syrup and salt. It was supposed to reach 240, but the mixture plateaued at 215, so I took it off and hoped for the best.

Oh and it should be noted, that I doubled this recipe. So instead of an 8x8 baking pan (non-existent among my kitchen accoutrements anyway), I lightly oiled and dusted a rimmed baking sheet with confectioner's sugar. This led to slightly flatter marshmallows, but I wasn't too disappointed. You'll see.
(By the way, either I spilled some water on the sugar-dusted baking sheet or a super tiny man in snow boots walked across it. How could this get by me?) 

Here is where I had to get bon appetempt with it . My circa-1987 KitchenAid no longer stays in the up position on its own, so I built this (ingenious?) device in the form of a stack of books to keep it up while this unflavored gelatin and hot syrup mixture beat for 8-13 minutes. If this ever happens to you, I would recommend using my technique, especially the mix of highbrow and lowbrow books chosen here: The Great Expectations School by Dan Brown (four stars) was a good base while Art of the Story and Eclipse (its back turned as I am still embarrassed) were solid middleweights with Portnoy's Complaint topping it off. Also, be sure to cover up Portnoy once the mixing really gets going.

 

I don't think it's too stupid to remind you that this stuff is sticky. Don't even think about touching it without running your hands under water first or using an oiled spatula. Also, at this stage, you can fold in different items to spice up your mallow. I chose cocoa nibs since they've been hanging out in my refrigerator ever since the dacquoise endeavor.

You have to wait an hour for it to set up, but then it's time for your marshmallows to get some clothes on. On the left is confectioner's sugar and on the right is unsweetened cocoa powder.

Dear family members who I think would like this kind of thing: don't look! This will be arriving at your door in 2-3 days.

These packets are almost as cute as the conversation I had with my mom the other day who had mentioned that she'd been on the internet. 

"Oh, really? Did you make it to Bon Appetempt?"

She sort of half giggled/half laughed in a plotting kind of way.

"So you did?"

More laughing.

"Did you leave a comment?"

"I did."

"Hmm... Are you sure because I just checked my email and I get emails when someone comments."

"I did about two hours ago. I said: Does this get me out of trouble?"

"I don't think it registered, Mom."

"It didn't?"

While we were on the phone, I double checked.

"No, it didn't register."

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh!"

 More holiday adventures to come!