Marshmallows
"Springy, sweet and puffed full of air." Jeff Wells, Mental Floss
Today we are being grandparents, and as a reward for walking into Eltham with me we had hot and iced chocolate in one of the local cafés. We did not get a free marshmallow to go with them - as you often do in trendy inner city cafés and I was pestered somewhat to get one. So as I was looking for inspiration I thought I would do marshmallows. So I started to research and guess what - it's all been done before. which leads me wondering why I should bother. Indeed I have been feeling a bit like this for a while about this blog. Because I am really just repeating other people's work. Though I generally learn something along the way.
Jeff Wells on Mental Floss has written a pretty comprehensive article on the history of marshmallows so I think it would be really presumptuous of me to paraphrase. Do read it because it is interesting. To summarise, Mallow is a plant - used from way back for medicinal purposes.
But you can make your own. There are lots of recipes out there and Felicity Cloake in one of her How to Cook the Best ... articles tells you how and the why of it all. But really why would you bother? The ones you buy are perfectly fine and not very expensive. She maintains:
"This is one of those things that is infinitely better made at home – the texture lighter; the flavour, well, the flavour is just about anything you want it to be, from vanilla to Sichuan peppercorn, and the process, well, it’s nothing short of magic."
And Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall maintains they are fun to make with kids - though keep them away from the hot sugar mixture. I used to make a lot of sweets with my mum when I was young, but I don't ever remember making marshmallows. Indeed I don't really remember marshmallows much at all. And I certainly never did the toasting over the campfire thing. Somehow that seems very American to me, but maybe it's just something I missed out on. I wonder who first thought of doing that. Do you think someone dropped it on some campfire coals and found it tasted good - or was it kids mucking about? This seems to be shrouded in mystery. No urban myth here.
And nowadays we are going posh - like macaroons and cupcakes before them it seems that marshmallows are becoming arty, though I'm not sure that this is a trend that has reached here as yet. The examples below are from America and England.
I read an interesting rationale for posh marshmallows in the Guardian:
"It's the continuation of a trend in which producers have taken comfort foods from the past and sprinkled over some artisan fairy dust (and often paprika or chilli flakes too). ... when money's too short to eat out, a bowl of posh popcorn or plate of artisan cupcakes is a way to feel good with friends and family without pushing the boat out too far." Matt Chittock, The Guardian
I think I sort of agree with this, though I also think it's just chefs trying to think of the next big thing and turning to the past for inspiration. In the meantime here in Australia we just toast them on the campfire - like my son with his little girls when they occasionally camp out in our garden - and also to serve with baby cappuccinos and kids milk shakes et al. in cafés. And there seems to be a fair bit of controversy over whether our marshmallows or the American ones are better. Apparently they are different. Foodmuster is pro Australian and Phillip David is pro American. Read them and you can despair about how come people like them - and me - have nothing better to do than wonder about marshmallows.
Back to the grandchildren! Time to rescue David.
