MARSHMALLOW

Marshmallow is a rite of passage, and once you make your own it becomes impossible to buy the pre-packaged, unloved stuff. So why not flavour-bend? Clad it with bacon and chocolate dip, and then the ultimate: place on a stick and toast over a fire.

MAKES 12–15 PORTIONS

270 g (9½ oz) caster (superfine) sugar

180 g (6 oz) liquid glucose

15 g (½ oz) powdered gelatine

cornflour (cornstarch), for dusting

icing (confectioners’) sugar, for dusting

Put the sugar, glucose and 70 ml (2¼ fl oz) of water in a heavy-based saucepan. Bring to 122ºC (251ºF), using a sugar thermometer as a guide.

Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool in the pan to 100ºC (212ºF).

Put the gelatine in a heatproof bowl with 90 ml (3 fl oz) of cold water. Once the gelatine has soaked up all the water, place the bowl over a saucepan of hot water to melt the gelatine. Add the mixture to the hot syrup.

Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until light, fluffy and cool; this normally takes 6–7 minutes.

Grease a 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 inch) tray and line with baking paper. Spread the marshmallow mixture over the tray.

Allow to set for several hours or overnight, before portioning and dusting with equal parts cornflour and icing sugar.

The marshmallows will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

FLAVOUR BENDERS

Try adding these at the end, before spreading the marshmallow mixture on the tray.

BACON MAPLE SYRUP

100 g (3½ oz) crispy fried diced bacon pieces 50 ml (1¾ fl oz) maple syrup

FUZZY NAVEL

2 teaspoons orange blossom water 50 g (1¾ oz) toasted shredded coconut

LIME AND VANILLA

scraped seeds from 2 vanilla beans zest of 1½ limes