It’s Andy here today. Ann is over in OurLittleCorner telling us how to cope with our crazy times without going crazy.
(Source: Canadian Broadcast Company)
When Ann told me that she was planning to devote today’s OurLittleCorner to comfort food, I couldn’t help but recall that one of the most comforting of comfort foods when I was a kid was a cup of piping hot cocoa with “marshmellows.” It was a breakfast treat my mom would make for me, along with buttered toast (white bread of course) cut into thirds for dunking. Wondering if others had fond memories of such an unhealthy breakfast fare, I went to the web and discovered the discomforting fact that “marshmellow” is the incorrect spelling – it is “marshmallow.”
If I’ve been misspelling “marshmallow” all these years, does that mean that I have been mispronouncing it as well? Should I be chagrinned by the number of times I have said “marshmellow” in my lifetime while others listened to me in quiet amusement?
With a little poking around I found an interactive web site to help me with the pronunciation side of things. It turns out that for us Americans it’s ok to say “marshmellow,” but not ok to spell it that way. The British pronunciation, on the other hand, seems to recognize the “a” in “mallow” but not the “r” in “marsh.” I even went so far as to practice on the interactive web site (see below) and it told me that I did a “good job” with the American pronunciation, which I might add was comforting.
While I was searching the web trying to resolve my marshmallow spelling/pronunciation issues, I learned that the marshmallow is not just a pretty face on the candy shelf. It got its name from the marsh mallow plant (Althaea officinalis) that has a long history of being valued for its medicinal and its culinary virtues. According to candyusa.com , by 2000 BC Egyptians were using sap from the marsh mallow plant to sooth coughs and sore throats and to heal wounds. In addition, when mixed with nuts and honey the marsh mallow sap was considered to be a special treat reserved for the gods and royalty. However, at that time it had no resemblance to the marshmallow that we know today.
By the mid 19th century French confectioners would be whipping dried marsh mallow roots with sugar, water, and egg whites to make what was called Pâte de Guimauve, a spongy-soft dessert. This precursor to today’s marshmallow was time-consuming to make and costly. To keep up with demand candy makers began innovating and, among other things, replaced labor-intensive mallow root sap with gelatin, although sticking with the marshmallow name.
By the 1900s marshmallows were gaining in popularity in the U.S. Marshmallow roasts became quite a middle-class trendy thing to do.
In 1948 a new method of manufacturing marshmallows (the “extrusion process”) allowed for the mass production of marshmallows and they soon became a common household staple. Any midcentury cookbook worth its salt included recipes calling for marshmallows. I still recall those potluck dinners with the marshmallow-loaded ambrosia salads and sweet potato casseroles topped with melted marshmallows. And what red-blooded American has not experienced the joy of making s’mores around a campfire?
A recent issue of Southern Living Magazine offers some recipes that took me down marshmallow-memory lane:
- Marshmallow Fruit Salad
- Classic Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows
- Fluffernutter
- Marshmallow Topping
- Over The Moon Chocolate Pie
- Homemade Moon Pies
It’s clear that marshmallows remain popular today. CandyUSA.com estimates that Americans currently consume more than 90 million pounds of marshmallows annually. There are about 64 regular-sized marshmallows per pound which means that we consume something like 5.76 billion marshmallows each year – and that doesn’t include marshmallow peeps!
My new-found appreciation for the marshmallow prompted me to try my hand at making my own marshmallows. I’m happy that I did.
It was a kick making them and an even bigger kick eating them. In fact, Ann and I were astounded at how much better they are than store-bought ones. And if you decide to make them, be careful – they are addictive. I would venture to say that these homemade “marshmellows,” are indeed “suited for the gods and royalty.” So, I encourage you to make a batch of these marshmallows regardless of how you may spell or pronounce them, brew yourself a hot cup of cocoa, plop in a marshmallow or two, and feel the comfort.
Homemade Marshmallows
- 3 packages unflavored gelatin
- 1 1/2 c granulated sugar
- 1 c light corn syrup
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1 T pure vanilla extract
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (I mixed 3/4 C confectioner’s sugar with 1/4 C corn starch).
Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.
Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer (about 7-8 minutes). Remove from the heat.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.
With a sieve, generously dust an 8 x 12-inch nonmetal baking dish with confectioners’ sugar. Pour the marshmallow mixture into the pan, smooth the top, and dust with more confectioners’ sugar. Allow to stand uncovered overnight until it dries out.
Turn the marshmallows onto a board and cut them in squares (I cut them into 1-inch squares). Dust them with more confectioners’ sugar.
The marshmallows can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
Totally impressed that you MADE marshmallows! I’ve seen recipes and thought, “Um, no.”
Actually. I’m impressed too. If we didn’t have a proper mixer I wouldn’t have tried – couldn’t imagine using a hand-held mixer for 15 minutes. But it turned out to be a smoother process than I had feared.
Such a fun episode.
Thanks. I was fun to do.
Your marshmallows look fabulous! Perfection in a confection.
I’m partial to marshmallow sauce on vanilla ice cream (my bride does not approve). Can’t find it in stores, but Miss Amazon offers 2 – 12oz bottles for about 13 bucks or you can order the 1-gallon pail for 20. I whole gallon! I’m chicken, so I went for the 2 bottles. (Note: the cream is not at all the same as marshmallow fluff which turns to concrete in the presence of something cold.)
On making marshmallows at home, a number of folks at the gym used to compare recipes for the confection.
I’m impressed at your level of expertise with all of this, although the color scheme for marshmallow sauce over vanilla ice cream doesn’t excite me. I wonder if the folks at the gym were there due to marshmallow overload. Thanks for the comment.
It was the marshmallow blog that took me down memory lane, but this also pertains to “salads,” such as Mom Hill’s and our family recipe, which should probably be called desserts. Ours is “24-hour salad” and consists of marshmallows, pineapple bits, oranges, Queen Anne cherries. The cooked dressing is of egg yolks, sugar, fruit syrup, butter and whipping cream. This dish took so long to make that my grandmother always came over to help on the day before Thanksgiving and Christmas (because the “salad” had to be chilled for 24 hours before serving). The oranges had to have all pith removed and be cut up into bite-sized pieces. The cherries had to be halved. And the marshmallows! They had to be cut into small pieces with scissors (which you had to continually dip in hot water so the marshmallows wouldn’t stick to them). I’m thinking each marshmallow was cut into 8-10 pieces. Miniature marshmallows were tried once and rejected: too much “crust.” Mandarin oranges were NOT acceptable. And one family member insisted that banana slices be included. That was gross and was never tried again. It’s been years since I’ve had the energy to engage this recipe!
Wow. I don’t recall anything so labor-intensive in our family holiday meals. Actually, I don’t recall much that wasn’t labor-intensive either. I did very little dinner prep stuff and usually was assigned to the dish washing end of things. Sounds like your grandmother could have been an early Martha Stewart.
Andy – This was great fun. Ann is right, “The Latest Diversion to Amuse the Ennuied Summer Gril.” That’s brilliant. A famous Oscar Wilde quote comes to mind: “One Must Have a Heart of Stone To Read the Death of Little Nell Without Laughing.” I have paraphrased it to “It takes a heart of stone not to laugh,” and use it when the occasion calls for an expression of schadenfreude.
Ann and I appreciate the comment. Using the term “schadenfreude” has significantly raised level of sophistication for the blog.