Beet and Balsamic Marshmallows

[Jenise]

"Beet and Balsamic Marshmallow"

Direct from the menu of a tony restaurant in Southern California, where it was listed as an element in/of a composed salad, comes this mind-boggling (to me, anyway) idea of a savoury marshmallow. I'm not a fan of the sweet kind, but I'm totally intrigued when someone takes a familiar concept and literally breaks every rule to stand it on it's ear--and this marshmallow would do that.

Anyone had anything like it?

Anyone ever made their own marshmallows?

LOL think I'll let somebody else test it, doesn't sound very appetizing to me.
And to answer part 2, no never made marshmallows or have eaten them since I cooked some over a campfire at a summer camp at around age 10!

"Beet and Balsamic Marshmallow"

Direct from the menu of a tony restaurant in Southern California where it was listed on the menu as a garnish on a composed salad comes this mind-boggling (to me, anyway) idea of a savoury marshmallow. I'm not a fan of the sweet kind, but I'm totally intrigued when someone takes a familiar concept and literally breaks every rule to stand it on it's ear--and this marshmallow would do that.

Anyone had anything like it?

Never made a marshmallow, but it does put me in mind of one dish we had at Can Roca recently: a hunk of olive oil-poached sea bass in a green olive purée in which were placed a handful of "sphericated" olives. These looked like small green olives, though the shape was a bit wrong. Biting into one, however, was a complete shock: they had a radically different texture, in fact they offered almost no resistance to the teeth (quite un-olivelike) but tasted exactly like a green olive. These had been produced, presumably, by taking some of that green olive purée, combining it with gelatin or agar or something and then recasting it into an olive shape before it hardened. It was a delightful shock and, along with the hard bubble filled with wood smoke and the prawn "sand" was one of the sensory highlights of the meal. Such are the potential delights of "molecular gastronomy."

Mark Lipton

[Jenise]

LOL think I'll let somebody else test it, doesn't sound very appetizing to me.
And to answer part 2, no never made marshmallows or have eaten them since I cooked some over a campfire at a summer camp at around age 10!

S'mores! Those were childhood torture for me. The only part I liked was the graham cracker.

But I would have been unable to resist ordering this salad to find out how this was done, and such is the reputation of this restaurant (George's California Modern) that you'd have to trust that if it's on the menu, it's worth finding out more about.

[Jenise]

These looked like small green olives, though the shape was a bit wrong. Biting into one, however, was a complete shock: they had a radically different texture, in fact they offered almost no resistance to the teeth (quite un-olivelike) but tasted exactly like a green olive. These had been produced, presumably, by taking some of that green olive purée, combining it with gelatin or agar or something and then recasting it into an olive shape before it hardened. It was a delightful shock

Sounds beyond delightful--Ferran Adria might have been the first to do the olive. At least, many who have dined at his famous restaurant El Bulli write about them. I'm going to try to get a reservation next year. (Tried last year, didn't make it.)

My wife has done homemade marshmallow before, but never savory ones.

I'm with you - I'd have to try these.

[Jenise]

My wife has done homemade marshmallow before, but never savory ones.

I'm with you - I'd have to try these.

I just checked Epicurious.com to see if any savory marshmallow recipes had turned up there, and not a one. So I pulled up a straight marshmallow recipe, which I'll post below. I wonder if any of the chemists here can look at this and suggest what you could take out in order to inject other flavorings--there's essentially no liquid but the corn syrup and a teaspoon of vanilla.


yield: Makes 100 or more marshmallows

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
2 packages gelatin
4 cups sugar divided into 3 2/3 cups and 1/3 cup
1/2 cup light corn syrup
8 egg whites, at room temperature
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract, or a few drops of orange flower or rose water
1 drop food coloring (optional)

PreparationIn bowl, whisk confectioner's sugar and cornstarch together. With a sieve, generously dust a jelly roll pan.

In a small heat-proof bowl, stir the gelatin into 1/2 cup water and let it soften 1 minute. Melt it over a low heat.

In a fairly deep pot, combine 3 2/3 cups sugar and the corn syrup with 1 cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Heat the syrup to 266°F.

In a 6-quart bowl, whip egg whites until frothy and add cream of tartar. Continue beating until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/3 cup sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. When the syrup reaches 266°F, add the gelatin to the syrup. Slowly pour hot syrup over the egg whites in a slow, steady stream. Add flavoring or coloring ifq you are using it.

With a spatula, spread mixture on prepared sheet pan and smooth top. Dust surface with some of remaining confectioner's sugar mixture. Let the meringue cool completely, for a few hours.

Using a chef's knife dipped in warm water (and wiped clean with a damp cloth between slices) cut marshmallows lengthwise into 1-inch strips. Cut across to make cubes. Work one section at a time and toss the cubes immediately in confectioner's sugar mixture. Shake marshmallow cubes in flat sieve to remove excess powder. To store, wrap finished marshmallows in plastic to avoid forming a crust skin.

I wouldn't mind tasting a real marshmallow, made from marsh mallows.

Never set out to make marshmallows, but the sweet meringue I make for Baked Alaska is mighty close.

I make marshmallows all the time. My recipe calls for two TABLESPOONS of vanilla. I believe the recipe came from Martha Stewart. And I dip them in dark chocolate. Better than anything store bought.

[Jenise]

I make marshmallows all the time. My recipe calls for two TABLESPOONS of vanilla. I believe the recipe came from Martha Stewart. And I dip them in dark chocolate. Better than anything store bought.

That would give one plenty of room then to add the balsamic flavor. What about the beet? And how much sugar can you remove?

From Wikipedia:
One commonly proposed theory about the origin of marshmallow holds that the traditional recipe used an extract from the mucilaginous root of the marshmallow plant, a shrubby herb (Althaea officinalis), instead of gelatin; the mucilage was used to soothe sore throats.[1][2] However, while concoctions of all parts of the plant have been used as medicine, a more likely origin for the modern sweet can be found in old recipes: Stems of marsh mallow were peeled to reveal the soft and spongy pith with a texture similar to manufactured marshmallow. This pith was boiled in sugar syrup and dried to produced a soft, chewy confection.[3] Commercial marshmallows are a late-nineteenth-century innovation.

From SDNN.COM - I assume this is the restaurant Jenise is referring to:

A far cry from Durkee’s Marshmallow Fluff (which I grew up on and still adore), this velvety “marshmallow” is made with juiced beets and balsamic vinegar that are reduced together, mixed with a bit of gelatin and whipped into a voluminous cloud the color of a San Diego sunset. The whole creation is topped with a sprinkling of “pine nut picada,” which translates into pine nuts that are toasted with olive oil and smoked paprika then blended with breadcrumbs.

If you open a can of marshmallow fluff in Albuquerque, you can't put the lid back on.

I'm not sure how I feel about beet marshmallows, but pine nuts roasted with olive oil and smoked paprika sound fantastic!

Sounds interesting, especially with a texture as delicate as the best marshmallows. And would make a very nice addition to salads..

[Jenise]

Sounds interesting, especially with a texture as delicate as the best marshmallows. And would make a very nice addition to salads..

Doesn't it? As soon as I have a kitchen again, I'm going to be all over this. In the meantime, the rest of you are welcome to beet (!) me to it.