I posted this on vegan-l and vegfood, but I realized that it *is* a fatfree
recipe *and* that the subject of marshmallows comes up here occasionally as
one of those "hidden animal ingredient" foods (gelatin). Hope that this is
useful to some of you!
The earlier post I mention here was on vegan-l and vegfood, not fatfree. Lisa
*****
Some of you might remember that I posted an untested marshmallow recipe
about a month ago (10/29) after receiving the following info:
>Re: vegetarian (vegan) marshmallows, Matt wrote:
>
>>I just called Emes (their area code is changed to 630 not 708 BTW) and they
>>said that they have not been supplying the marshmallows since this summer
>>and that most stores will more than likely not have any. They said that
>>they are retooling their equipment and working on the formula and hope to
>>continue production in the future. Unfortunately they could not supply me
>>with a date.
>
>Yikes! This is an emergency! And with the holidays coming up and all!
>Thanks for the info, Matt.
Well, I finally had the chance to make the marshmallows yesterday with Emes
Kosher Gelatin (purely veg - made from Carageenan, Locust Bean Gum, and
Malto-dextrin). The results were really nice...I made them with unbleached
Florida Crystals sugar (a light blonde sugar made by an environmentally
friendly company), but the marshmallows still came out beautifully white.
The marshmallows are amazingly soft and fresh-tasting. They aren't quite
as puffy as commerical ones, but they puff and brown when toasted and melt
easily in liquid (can't wait to try them in hot chocolate or cocoa). I
think they'll make yummy s'mores with vegan chocolate chips and graham
crackers! I'm also thinking of cutting some of them into Xmas tree shapes
(triangles) and dipping them in chocolate for Xmas cookie/candy boxes.
This is not a difficult recipe, but you need an electric mixer to do it.
It will be a lot easier if you have a candy thermometer (fairly cheap in a
kitchen shop...I got mine at a grocery store for about $4). Also, don't
try this if you hate making messes! The "creme" is very sticky and hard to
scrape out of the bowl. I got it all over me!!
I'd like to try the Carmel brand kosher veg gel, but the only way I've
found it is pre-sweetened, and I can't figure out how to convert the amount
needed. When I have tried the Carmel brand for other things before,
though, I didn't like it as well as the Emes...it didn't look as clear and
"gelatin"-like.
Anyway - for those of you who have a couple of hours to kill and a
hankering for marshmallows, here'd that recipe again. Enjoy!!
>_Marshmallows_ Makes about 1 3/4 lbs.
>
>Put in the mixing bowl and let stand 1 hour:
>
>3 tablespoons kosher veg gelatin (this is 3 packets of Emes)
>1/2 cup water
>
>In about 1/2 hour, begin to prepare a syrup. Place in a heavy pan over low
>heat and stir until dissolved:
>
>2 cups sugar (I used unbleached)
>3/4 cup light corn syrup
>1/2 cup water
>1/4 teaspoon salt
>
>When the mixture start to boil, cover it about 3 minutes to allow any
>crystals which have formed to be washed down from the sides of the pan.
>Be >careful, though, not to let the mixture boil over.
>Continue to cook uncovered and unstirred over high heat to the firm-ball
>stage (244 degrees F). Overcooking makes the marshmallows tough. Remove
>the mixture from heat and pour slowly over the gelatin, beating constantly
>with an electric mixer. Continue to beat about 15 minutes after all the
>syrup has been added. While beating, when the mixture is thick but still
>smooth, add:
>
>2 tablespoons vanilla extract.
>
>Put the mixture into an 8 x 12 in pan that has been lightly dusted with
>cornstarch. Dust the top with cornstarch and set aside. When it has
>dried for >12 hours, remove it from the pan, cut it into square with
>scissors dusted with >cornstach, and store the fully dusted pieces in a
>closed tin.
Possible variations: Add coconut extract instead of vanilla. pour into pan
coated with tasted coconut and roll cut pieces in toasted coconut instead
of cornstarch.
Use creme de menthe instead of vanilla for mint marshmallows.
Use other flavors/liquers (almond extract, orange, Kahlua, etc.) instead of
vanilla.
Cut marshmallows into shapes and dip in melted vegan chocolate.
Tint marshmallows with vegetable colors while beating the creme. Cut into
holiday shapes (especially nice for spring - Easter, etc.).
Lisa T. Bennett (ltbennett@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx)
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