TWD: Marshmallow Bravado

This week's Tuesday's with Dorie recipe was Marshmallow, chosen by Judy of Judy's Gross Eats. Easy, I thought, as I first made these marshmallows after hearing Dorie on NPR (probably The Splendid Table) in December 2006. Yes, it contains somewhat finicky meringue and involves the use of a candy thermometer, but I can just whip out those marshmallows like a pro.

J and K thought that we should experiment a bit. J read through "playing around," and wanted to make Mango Marshmallows. K falls right in my camp and thought that we should try a cinnamon marshmallow.

First batch: Mango. Things went so smoothly. I was concerned after reading the comments of other TWD bakers about the stickiness of the marshmallows. I set them in a 8x11 pan. They were fluffy, pale yellow and separated beautifully from the parchment after I cut away the outer edge. Unlike my 2006 batch of marshmallow, these even had only a dusting of corn starch around them.

Second batch: The sugar is boiling away, the gelatin is gelling. K over whips the egg whites a bit, so they aren't as smooth and shiny. I decide that they will still work. The doorbell rings, the dog goes a bit bananas, and I take off to answer it. By the time I return, (it was just K, trying to make the dog bark) the sugar is past 290 degrees, and rapidly caramelizing. I move it off the burner to try and cool it. When the sugar cools down slightly, I mix it with the egg whites. The entire mixture separates rather than mixes, but eventually seems to come together well with the gelatin added. To add the cinnamon/chocolate combination K and I had decided on, I fold in 3 tbsp melted bittersweet chocolate, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, and the substantial shake of cinnamon that K had added to the mix. My mixing bowl now has large amounts of sugar hardened on the sides, making it nearly impossible to evenly fold in the cinnamon/chocolate mixture.

As best I can, I pour the marbleized marshmallow mixture into another prepared 9x13 pan, pulling up the parchment to contain the marshmallow in half the pan.

Saturday night: We're having dinner with some friends, and the dessert is my contribution. I've made strawberry shortcakes in addition to my less traditional offering of mango and cinnamon/chocolate marshmallows. The mango marshmallows, while beautiful, are less compelling than their cinnamon/chocolate counterparts. The cinnamon/chocolate mixture sank toward the bottom of the marshmallows, and hardened into a moderately stiff chocolate stripe. The contrast of the stiff chocolate and the fluffy (although not nearly as fluffy as the mango ones) marshmallow brought out the best of both components.