These Culinary Thymes

       When you think of marshmallows it brings back memories of camp fires, s’mores and pieces of flaming goo on the end of a stick.  The origin of the marshmallow dates back to Egypt where honey was mixed with the sap of the mallow plant.  This was the case up until the 1800’s when cornstarch was used to replaced the mallow plant.  These days there are so many places you will see marshmallows…from little “Peeps” at Easter time, to breakfast cereal and even on the menu’s of some high end restaurants. 

I had eaten at a restaurant in New York City some eight years ago.  The name of the restaurant was “First” and the chef there was a friend of a friend.  It was a very nice place, with an industrial look to it.  The food was pretty good, from the wings to the mussels, but the dessert was worth the wait.  Out to the table came all the fixings to make s’mores, which included a tiny cauldron of hot charcoal.  It was like you were camping out at your table.  The experience was a lot of fun and it was one of those times that a person won’t forget.  Not only will I never forget that night (mostly because it was one of the first restaurants in NYC I had ever dined in) but it got my big brain cooking too.  I have been curious about making my own marshmallows, but seeing what goes into them I had been reluctant…that is until now. 

Seeing that Molecular Gastronomy is the wave of the future I decided to try my hand at making some in a different way.  I did some research on the web and ordered both Xanthan gum and Methyl-cellulose F50.  If you have ever had “Good Seasons” Italian dressing then you have had Xanthan gum before (it is the reason the dressing stays thick) and you might find Methyl-cellulose in ice cream.  I decided to use them in a different way than ever before.  The following is my recipe for “Molecular Marshmallows.”  I am still in the working stage, but this is my first go at them.  They are pretty cool and not exactly what you are used to…but they are cool just the same.

250g. Bottled water (tap water has a funny after taste with this)

1.5g. Xanthan Gum

1.5g. Methyl-cellulose F50

Dash of Vanilla

Dash of Salt

2-3 cups Confectioners (powdered) sugar, more if you like it sweeter

In the bowl of a 7qt. mixer dissolve the Xanthan gum and Methyl-cellulose with the water and vanilla.  Turn on the mixer on medium and treat it like you are making a meringue.  Once the water comes to soft peak start adding the confectioners sugar, a little at a time.  As it turns it will start to become more dense and elastic, similar to something between marshmallow fluff and canned vanilla frosting.  This can be spooned out and caramelized just like a real marshmallow.  It will hold its shape, but will be more like whipped cream rather than a commercial marshmallow.

Well, that’s about it for this round.  Join me next time for more…until then, bye.