Happy New Year!
I had two weeks off work for the holidays and I thought that I'd be able to catch up with the blog by making and photographing lots of treats during my time off. I did spend a lot of time in the kitchen but, sadly, lots of these ideas failed (again!).
Firstly, I tried to make gin and elderflower marshmallows. I accidentally used double the amount gelatine, which resulted in a marshmallow mix quite difficult to control during the mixing! I added the elderflower flavour with a cordial, which was far too sweet for a product made almost entirely of sugar. And, to top it all, when I added the gin, the mixture starting fizzing!
However, I learned from this and decided that marshmallows need some sharpness to cut through their intoxicating sweetness so I decided to use lime. The marshmallow itself was absolutely divine (especially compared with the chewy, over-sweet elderflower and fizzing-gin marshmallows). I used both the zest and the juice of the lime for maximum flavour and it worked like a dream... (to my relief!).
As I mentioned in my Bacon Marshmallow post, my favourite type of marshmallows are those covered in granulated sugar because they provide a glossy crispy outer shell once they have been toasted. I decided to top these marshmallows with a little mint sugar to enhance the flavour and to mimic the marshmallows that I used to toast during my childhood. Unfortunately, I no longer live in a house with a fireplace! I was tempted to add a little bit of rum to the sugar (to make mojito marshmallows) but the lime flavour of the marshmallow was so good that I didn't want to interfere any more!
This is the same base recipe that I used for the Bacon Marshmallows (adapted from David Lebovitz)
Lime and Mint Marshmallows
9g powdered gelatine (1 sachet)
40ml + 40ml water
Juice (~20ml) and zest of 1 lime
20 fresh mint leaves
100g + 100g sugar (caster or granulated)
50g liquid glucose
2 large egg whites at room temperature
A pinch of salt
A few drops of green food colouring
This recipe makes ~28 marshmallows.
Put the gelatine, 40ml cold water and lime juice (this should be ~20ml) in a small bowl to soften.
Generously dust a greaseproof lined baking tray with the marshmallow mix and put to one side.
In a small saucepan with a sugar thermometer add the 40ml cold water, 100g sugar and the liquid glucose and place over a medium heat.
In a clean bowl whisk the egg whites until they are soft and fluffy. Add the pinch of salt.
Once the sugar mix reaches a temperature of 220°F (104.5°C), beat the eggs until they become stiff. When the sugar mix reaches 245°F (118°C), slowly pour it over the whipped egg whites and continue whisking.
Put the gelatine, lime juice and water mix into the saucepan and allow it to melt with the remaining heat from the sugar mix. Whilst whipping, pour the liquefied gelatine into the egg whites and sugar. Add the food colouring and continue whisking until the mixture and the bowl has completely cooled. Gently fold in the lime zest.
Pour into a piping bag and gently pipe out the marshmallows onto the baking tray. Allow the marshmallows to set uncovered for a minimum of 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
Blend 100g sugar and the mint leaves in a food processor until the leaves are finely chopped and mixed with the sugar. Sprinkle on top of the marshmallows just before serving.
These make wonderful palate cleansers for a dinner party. Also, they can be simply popped into one's mouth for a quick sugar fix! They were a huge improvement on the attempted elderflower marshmallows. I strongly recommend using flavours which cut through the sweetness of the sugary puffs of marshmallow.
