February 12, 2012

Blush and Bashful Marshmallows


If you're an aficionada of Steel Magnolias (the movie) like I am you'll know exactly what this post title is referring to.  If not, read on...a Louisiana accent may help!

Truvy: What are your colors, Shelby?
Shelby: They're blush and bashful.
M'Lynn: Her colors are pink and pink.
Shelby: My colors are blush and bashful, Mama!
M'Lynn: How precious is this wedding gonna get, I ask you? 
Shelby: My colors are blush and bashful.  I have chosen two shades of pink, one is much deeper than the other.


When I set about making Valentine-themed marshmallows I was instantly inspired by the movie since it's one of my all-time favorites.  I started with the raspberry marshmallows that I made this past Christmas and tweaked the recipe just a little to achieve the bi-color effect I was after.   Half of the recipe became blackberry (the deeper pink) and the other half was raspberry/strawberry.

I daresay if Shelby had seen these lovely pink marshmallows she would have served them at her wedding!


Blush and Bashful Marshmallows

Blackberry Layer (dark pink layer) 
125g blackberry puree*, strained (I used ~400g of frozen blackberries)
250g granulated sugar
125g water
10g powdered gelatin
30g egg whites
pinch of salt 

Raspberry/Strawberry Layer (light pink layer)
125g raspberry/strawberry puree*, strained (I used about 350g of frozen raspberries/strawberries)
250g granulated sugar
125g water
10g powdered gelatin
30g egg whites
pinch of salt

* Note: the most important thing is to make sure you have 125g of berry puree for each marshmallow layer.  I noted the amounts of frozen berries I used but you may need more or less and if you're using fresh berries. 

Using a flavorless oil like canola, lightly grease a 13" x 9" pan.

PUREE: Cook the frozen or fresh blackberries in a small saucepan over medium heat until soft and juicy.  Mash them with a fork to help release the juices. Once soft, press the blackberries through a sieve to remove the seeds and reserve the liquid (should be ~125g) in a large bowl. If the blackberry liquid seems very thin and watery, reduce it over medium low heat until it thickens. Set the mixture aside to cool. Repeat with the raspberries/strawberries.  [You should have the blackberry puree in one bowl and the raspberry/strawberry puree in another bowl.]

BLACKBERRY LAYER: In a small sauce pan over medium heat, cook the sugar with the water. Stir frequently until it comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. Then clip on your candy thermometer and maintain a gentle boil without stirring until it reaches 255°F.

While waiting on the syrup, sprinkle the powdered gelatin over the cooled blackberry mixture and whisk. When the syrup is getting close, drop the egg whites and salt into your mixer and beat them on medium speed until foamy.

Once the syrup comes to temp, pour the syrup into the large bowl with the raspberry and gelatin. It will bubble up, which is why I emphasized a large bowl earlier. Whisk the mixture to dissolve the gelatin then pour into your mixer with the eggs. Beat on medium-high speed for several minutes, until the mixture has cooled a bit and tripled in volume. Pour the gooey marshmallow mass into your prepared pan, smooth with an offset spatula.   Set aside while you make the raspberry/strawberry layer.

RASPBERRY/STRAWBERRY LAYER: In a small sauce pan over medium heat, cook the sugar with the water. Stir frequently until it comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. Then clip on your candy thermometer and maintain a gentle boil without stirring until it reaches 255°F.

While waiting on the syrup, sprinkle the powdered gelatin over the cooled raspberry/strawberry mixture and whisk. When the syrup is getting close, drop the egg whites and salt into your mixer and beat them on medium speed until foamy.

Once the syrup comes to temp, pour the syrup into the large bowl with the raspberry and gelatin. It will bubble up, which is why I emphasized a large bowl earlier. Whisk the mixture to dissolve the gelatin then pour into your mixer with the eggs. Beat on medium-high speed for several minutes, until the mixture has cooled a bit and tripled in volume. Pour the gooey marshmallow mass over the blackberry layer, into your prepared pan, and smooth with an offset spatula.  Allow marshmallows to stand and cure for several hours.

Once the marshmallows have cured, cut around the edges with a knife to release the sheet. Dust the surface liberally with a mixture of cornstarch and powdered sugar (1/2 c. of each will do the trick).  As you remove the marshmallow from the pan, toss some of the dusting mixture under the sheet to aid in releasing it. Use as much as you need to keep it from sticking to everything.

Place the marshmallow sheet onto a well dusted cutting board.

Now you can cut it into cubes or pull out the cookie cutters and cut out shapes from the sheet. Toss the cut marshmallows into a bowl with the dusting mixture and toss to thoroughly coat. Transfer to an air tight container.

8 comments:

  1. What a DARLING idea! :) I love that you added the movie dialogue in the post. I could totally hear it playing in my head!

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  2. Oh my god. These look fabulous!

    I've been meaning to try making marshmallows for ages! I might very well start with this recipe! Great post ;)

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  3. I have tried homemade marshmallows before, and as they say, you can never go back to store bought. True enough! I am excited to try this blushing pink marshmallows for February 14!

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  4. Absolutely fabulous idea !

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  5. Truc, I'm in love with these marshmallows! The color, the texture, that they're HOMEMADE - amazing... I have featured this post in today's Friday Food Fetish roundup. Let me know if you have any objections and thanks for the inspiration

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  6. It seems that those blush and blashful marshmallows are really great. I really like to make a lot of different shape from those delicious mallows. I think that it would be a great sweets for my daughter.

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  7. Convert grams to ounces?

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  8. Anonymous10/12/2014

    I love your creative tie to the movie - AWESOME, and they turned out cute too! I just know that Shelby would love them :)

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