I made that!

Today was fun. While lazing about the house with a sad tummy, I was thinking of marshmallows. Not eating them, just making them. After a botched attempt last year I was feeling the need to redeem myself. Several hours later I became a believer that EVERYONE should make homemade marshmallows. Just once. It is total kitchen magic. I had the itch (and some extra egg whites) and decided to make a batch of raspberry flavored mallows.

I started by oiling and then dusting a pan with powdered sugar and cornstarch.

Since it takes a while to get up to temp, I started boiling my sugar syrup.

Then I rubbed some vanilla bean seeds with a bit of sugar.

I tossed that in with some raspberry puree (still had some of the freezer from this day). Then I sprinkled on some gelatin, stirring to keep it from clumping.

Since it immediately becomes stiff, I placed it over a pot of simmering water to melt the gelatin down. This part is a bit tricky: You want the gelatin warm to loosen it up, but if it gets too warm it smells just awful. So have your nose be your guide. If you can smell it, remove it from the heat and stir using the residual heat. If your house suddenly smells like livestock, you have gone too far. I did that once and couldn’t eat a marshmallow for a year. Seriously, gelatin is creepy. In a fabulous sort of way.

I started whipping some egg whites into a stiff meringue.

And then slowly poured in my syrup. I let that whip for a few seconds, and poured in the raspberry mixture. I continued whipping, until the marshmallow had cooled and tripled in volume.

I poured the marshmallow onto the prepared pan.

And attempted to flatten it out.

I let it sit for 3 hours and then turned it onto a powdered sugar coated board. I sprinkled on a thick layer of more powdered sugar and let it sit for another hour.

Then I started slicing!

I rolled the little squares in more powdered sugar and played with them for a while.

And what do we do with fresh yummy squishy marshmallows? We dip them in Chocolate!

RASPBERRY MARSHMALLOW RECIPE:

14 oz sugar

1 TBSP corn syrup

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup (1 oz) gelatin

3/4 cup raspberry puree

1 TBSP sugar

1/2 vanilla bean

2 TBSP water

2 egg whites

1 TBSP vegetable oil

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

– Mix the cornstarch and powdered sugar together. Prepare a 9″x13″ pan by greasing it lightly with vegetable oil. Dust it with half of the powdered sugar mixture.

– Combine granulated sugar, corn syrup and 3/4 cup water in a pot over low heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring, bring to a boil. Place a thermometer inside. You want the syrup to eventually reach 260.

– While syrup is boiling, mix together vanilla bean seeds and 1 TBSP sugar. Rub with fingers until seeds are incorporated into sugar. Mix raspberry puree, water and vanilla sugar in a bowl. Sprinkle gelatin on top, stirring it in to keep it from clumping. Place this over a pot of simmering water to melt the gelatin.

– Begin beating the egg whites until stiff. Once they are stiff and syrup is at 260, begin slowly pouring in syrup while continuing to beat the whites. Beat for 30 seconds to incorporate.

– Beat in raspberry puree mixture. Continue beating until marshmallow mixture is cooled and tripled in volume.

– Immediately pour into the prepared pan and quickly smooth the top flat. Let the marshmallow sit, uncovered, for at least 3 hours at room temperature.

– Dust a work surface with the rest of the sugar cornstarch mixture. Run a knife along the edges to loosen the marshmallow and turn out onto the surface. Cover with a layer of powdered sugar and let sit for 1 hour to develop a sugar crust.

– Cut the marshmallow into squares and toss the squares in powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container for up to a week.

I’m not saying it wasn’t fun, I’m just saying if you ever hear me talk about making 400 reinvented classic candy bars I want you to hit me. Today I post the last and most certainly not least in my candy bar collection – The S’mores bar. I know technically it’s not a candy bar, but well, who cares? It is now!

First I made a graham cracker crust.

Then I whipped egg yolks and powdered sugar until fluffy.

Then I melted butter and mixed in cocoa powder and chocolate.

I whisked in the egg mixture and then folded in some whipped cream.

I spread the mousse onto my crust and popped the tray into the freezer to firm up.

I sliced them into bite-sized squares and put them back in the fridge. While they were chilling I made a meringue and piped it on top. I used a torch to burn the meringue. So cute!

Even cuter…

RECIPE:

Crust:

3 cups graham cracker crumbs

5 oz butter

1 tbsp sugar

Chocolate Mousse:

8 egg yolks

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

8 oz butter

1/8 tsp salt

2 tbsp cocoa powder

12 oz bittersweet chocolate

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Meringue:

6 oz egg whites

12 oz sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

– Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

– To make the crust: Combine the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter and granulated sugar until well combined. Press into the bottom of a 9×13-inch metal baking pan. Bake the crust until it starts to brown and become crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

– To make the filling: Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks and confectioners’ sugar together in a large bowl until they are thick and the color of butter. Beat in the vanilla and salt.

– Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat and whisk in cocoa powder until smooth. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate, and stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. Let cool slightly, then gradually beat into the egg mixture.

– Fold the softly beaten heavy cream into the chocolate mixture just until combined. Spoon the chocolate cream over the graham cracker crust, smoothing it evenly with a spatula. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and freeze for 3 hours.

– When ready to serve, make the meringue: Combine whites and sugar in a KitchenAid bowl. Place over a pan of simmering water and whisk continuously, until the whites register 155 on a thermometer. Transfer to mixer and beat until cooled. It should be thick and shiny. Beat in the vanilla.

– Carefully slice the s’mores into squares using a hot knife. Top each with the meringue in a large dollop. Use a torch to carefully burnish the meringue until topped with golden brown.  Serve immediately.

Today I tackle the Twix candy bar, another personal favorite!

I got started by cooking the dulce de leche. This was a time-consuming task involving about 3 hours of cooking over a pot of simmering water to evaporate the water without scorching the milk.

Then I made a shortbread dough and pressed it into a buttered pan.

I pricked holes in the dough and baked it until it was nice and browned.

I spread on top my dulce de leche and popped it in the freezer to really firm up.

And then I spread on some chocolate.

And then disaster struck. Big time. When I cut my little bars, all of the dulce de leche oozed out the sides. Totally not cute at all. By this time it was midnight, I had worked a full shift at the restaurant and was NOT in the mood for failure. But these little punks didn’t care. They failed anyways. So I broke up with them, kicked them out of the candy bar club and officially disinvited them from the party.

But you know what? They still tasted good. Really good and very Twix-esque. So I’ll probably nibble them on the sly…

RECIPE: (adapted from BAKED: New Frontiers in Baking)

Shortbread:

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 /12 cups all-purpose flour

1 large egg yolk, slightly beaten

Caramel filling:

28 ounces sweetened condensed milk (two 14-ounce cans)

1/2 vanilla bean

Chocolate glaze:

6 ounces dark chocolate (60% cacao), coarsely choppe

1 teaspoon light corn syrup

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, cut into cubes

For the shortbread:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. butter the bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and butter together until blended.

3. Add 2 cups of the flour and beat until well combined. Add the egg yolk and beat for a few seconds, or until just combined.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough and your hands with a little flour. Use your hands to gently work the dough into a 6-by-6-inch square. You will have to turn the dough and sprinkle the top with flour as you go. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup flour on the surface of the dough. Fold the dough over and knead until incorporated, then flatten the dough into a rectangle. Transfer the rectangle to the prepared pan and press it into the pan.

5. Prick the dough all over with a fork and bake in the center of the oven for 23 to 26 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

For the caramel filling:

Put the sweetened condensed milk in a medium heat-proof bowl and set it over a saucepan of boiling water over low heat with the seeds from 1/2 a vanilla bean. Cook for  1 1/2 hours, until thick and caramel colored. Remove the bowl from the pan and beat until smooth.

3. Pour the caramel filling over the cooled shortbread and place the pan in the refrigerator until cool, about two hours.

For the chocolate glaze:

1. In a large nonreactive metal bowl, combine the chocolate, corn syrup, and butter. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, stirring with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is completely smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan and stir for 30 seconds to cool slightly. Pour the mixture over the chilled caramel layer and use an offset spatula to spread it into an even layer.

2. Put in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until the glaze hardens.

3. Remove the pan from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving so as not to crack the chocolate glaze. Cut into squares and serve.

The bars can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 4 days.