« Previous Post | Cheese (B)Log Home | Next Post »

Curry Coconut Marshmallows

I've never been crazy about marshmallows -- they just seemed like puffy sugar with little else to recommend them. But when we did our chocolate fondue dinner for Valentine's Day, we agreed that marshmallows are perfect for dipping. The only question was how to make them interesting? Meredith (who's also the pastry chef at Carafe when not working here at the shop) gave me her basic marshmallow recipe and I started playing around. What I learned is that marshmallows are a fabulous little conveyance for spice and texture. Think of them as a sweet neutral canvas for splashing with vibrant flavors and enticing textures. This recipe uses a sweet, spicy curry powder to add zip to the soft, pillowy interior and then coats it with a hot, slightly crunchy coconut.They're not especially tricky to make and you can use the basic recipe to invent your own tasty little treats. (Meredith makes very addictive lime zest and sriracha marshmallows, as well rose-scented ones covered in crunchy pink sugar.) Go wild! Get creative! Have fun! Bring me some!

Curry Coconut Marshmallows

2 cups, plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 cup water (plus more for gelatin)
12 sheets or 2 packets plain gelatin
6 egg whites
1 vanilla bean, split and inside scraped
The above ingredients are the basic marshmallow. Those below are for the adventure.
1/2 teaspoon Shiba's Sweet Spice curry powder (or other sweet curry powder)
1 cup shredded coconut
1/8 cayenne (or more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon salt

You'll need a candy thermometer, a mixer (a freestanding one is especially good) and a half-sheet pan or a 11" X 13" pan.

Line your pan with parchment or a lightly oiled silpat mat.

In a saucepan, bring 2 cups sugar and 3/4 water to boil. Cook it to the soft ball stage (118 degrees centigrade). Soften the gelatin in a little bit of cold water. Just before the sugar syrup gets to temperature, whip together in a large mixing bowl the egg whites, tablespoon of sugar, and scraped insides of vanilla bean to soft peaks. With the mixer on medium-high speed, carefully pour the hot sugar syrup into the egg whites (avoid splashing it onto yourself -- it's really hot!). Add the softened gelatin*, then sprinkle in the curry powder and continue to whip until the mixture is cool -- 12- 15 minutes.

Working quickly, spread the mixture evenly into your pan. Wrap loosely and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Mix together the coconut, cayenne and salt in a bowl.

Use a knife to cut the marshmallows into 1" cubes, and gently toss them with the spicy coconut mixture. Shake off the extra, and keep the marshmallows in a closed container. Store in the refrigerator. They'll keep for several days -- unless you eat them all sooner.

* I used the gelatin packets in a couple of tablespoons of water. They'd nearly solidified into a rubbery mass by the time I was ready for them, so I just added a bit more water, broke it up as much as I could, and then stirred that into the sugar syrup just before adding it to the egg white mixture. I don't think that's the proper way to do it, but it seemed to work just fine.

Comments

Post Your Comment

Name:

Email Address:

URL:

Remember personal info?

Comments: