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Рецепт Homemade Marshmallows...
by Nan Slaughter

Birthday week has ended and I'm officially another year older, sadly however, I don't seem to be any wiser. If I were, I would have known that homemade marshmallows are infinitely better than any you can buy and they are unbelieveably easy to make. Plus, homemade marshmallows that are dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with crushed candy canes can only be described as supernal, heavenly, divine. If there is food in Heaven, then homemade marshmallows will be served at every meal.

Better late than never, right? I now know homemade marshmallows are the only way to go when it comes to marshmallows!!! For years friends have told me that homemade marshmallows are superior to store bought, but I always assumed the difference couldn't outweigh the convenience. I was wrong - so very wrong! When I was in Vermont at King Arthur Flour, I had one of their marshmallows - I wouldn't say it was life-changing - but maybe more life-affirming. Homemade marshmallows are not a reason to live, surely that would be taking it too far, but I dare say I'd get out of bed a bit faster each morning if I knew I could put homemade marshmallows on my cereal or in my hot cocoa or toss them high in the air and catch them with my marshmallow hole!

The variety of flavors are endless...along with the traditional vanilla, what about almond, cherry, or peppermint? Whatever flavor floats your marshmallow boat! Make them for your family, for your friends, make them for Christmas or Kwanza or for the highest of holy days - Seahawks Sunday! Fold them into your Jell-O salad, sprinkle them over your baked sweet potatoes, package them up and give them for neighbor gifts...everyone likes marshmallows because it's a Marshmallow World!

Last week was chocolate week - between the three of us we dipped about 900 chocolates by hand...and this was my first time dipping homemade marshmallows - they turned out SO great! I think they're my new favorite but I could still be in the homemade-marshmallow-honeymoon-phase.

We rented a large chocolate tempering machine but it gave us more trouble that it was worth so we ended up not using it on the second day of dipping...two days of being up to our elbows in chocolates...best anti-depressant there is!

Combine gelatin and 1/2 cup water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt and the remaining 1/2 cup of water in a small, deep saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat.

With mixer on low speed, slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the softened gelatin. Increase the speed to high and whip until the mixture is very thick and fluffy. Mixture will cool as it's being whipped and will increase in volume; depending on your mixer, this takes between 3 and 10 minutes. Add vanilla (or whatever extract you want) to the mixture. You can add crushed candy canes to the marshmallow mixture while it's being whipped, which will tiny the marshmallow pink and add more flavor and a bit of crunch. When the volume as increase and the mixture is cool enough for you to handle without being burned, about 95 degrees, spread the marshmallow mixture into a greased 9 x 13-inch pan (glass or ceramic is best). Using the back of a wet spatula, smooth and flatten the marshmallows. You can sprinkle crushed candy canes over the top at this point, if desired. If not using crushed candy canes, sprinkle powdered sugar over the top and let sit for several hours (or overnight) before cutting. Use a greased knife or dip knife into powdered sugar between cuts to make squares or other shapes. Makes about 100 1-inch squares.