When I am on holiday in Belgium or France, I am always enticed by artisan made marshmallows. The slight chewy exterior with the airy and soft interior, combined with the melt in the mouth quality makes them completely irresistible to me. In my opinion they must be the most addictive product made by a pastry or confiserie chef.
Vanilla flavored marshmallow are good but I do find them more delicious if made with a flavor which will cut the sweetness a bit, natural flavors such as passion fruit, ruby red grapefruit, raspberry, coffee-anise etc make these extra special. Marshmallow can be very effective as a small component on a plated dessert or incorporated in a dessert served in a verrine or glass. In a rich cremeux they can be very successful to make it lighter and at the same time adding texture.
Too bad that well made marshmallows are not easily found everywhere. In fact, where I live, I may perhaps use packaged marshmallows for neck support on a plane, but certainly not something I would eat.
Making your own marshmallow is very easy and totally uncomplicated, in fact it really is nothing more than flavored Italian style meringue with has been gelatinized. If you decide to make these, you may consider dipping them in chocolate to add another texture and add a sense of luxury.
Getting it all together!
Homemade marshmallow will keep for a while so no need to get started until the last minute. In fact, it is best to make it a day ahead before serving it. Freshly made it is a little too soft and consequently does not have the desired texture. The marshmallow featured here were piped using a St.Honoré tip but the batter can also be spread on a lightly oiled pan and cut the next day for an easier approach. I prefer to make marshmallow without corn syrup. However, since there is a possibility of the sugar syrup crystallizing during the cooking process, I recommend using invert sugar as described here.
Lime Marshmallow.
| 1 Cup | (8 oz) | Lime juice | 240 g |
| 9 | (9) | Gelatin leaves/sheets | 9 |
| 2 Cups + 1 Tbsp | (17 oz) | Extra fine granulated sugar | 500 g |
| 2 Tablespoons | (1 oz) | Invert sugar | 30 g |
| ½ Cup | (4 oz) | Water | 120 g |
| 4 oz ( ½ cup) | (4 oz) | Egg whites, 100% yolk free | 120 g |
- 1. The lime juice has to be reduced to 3.5 oz (100ml) in a non reactive pan. Tip for exact reduction: before you start pour 3.5 oz (100 ml) water in the pan you will use for the lime juice reduction. Place a metal or wooden stick in the water and mark where the surface of the water meets the stick. Pour out water and set the stick aside.
- Bring the lime juice to a boil and reduce to 3.5 oz. Remove from heat and let cool to 180°F (80°C). Add the gelatin leaves in the juice. (Do not soak or bloom the gelatin in ice water first!). Set aside.
- In a saucepan bring the sugar, invert sugar and water to a boil, wash away any sugar crystals.
- Place the egg whites in a machine bowl fitted with a whip attachment. Once the sugar has boiled to 255F° F (125°C) start whipping the egg whites in low-medium speed.
- When the sugar syrup has reached 265°F (130°C) remove from heat and whip the egg whites in high speed. Pour the syrup along the inner edge of the bowl in a steady stream.
- Whip to lukewarm. Meanwhile heat the gelatin-lime mixture until just melted. Do not exceed 180°F (80°C) and add to the lukewarm meringue ensuring not to pour on the whip attachment.
- Remove from mixer and using a piping bag fitted with a St. Honoré tip pipe the batter on lightly oiled parchment paper. Alternately spread on a lightly oiled parchment sheet.
- Hours later or the next day the marshmallow can be lightly sprinkled and tossed in an equal mixture of corn or potato starch and confectioner’s sugar.
- If desired dip in tempered chocolate.
Thanks Chef Eddy. I had never liked marshmallows until I tasted a home-made one…made by me. Orange marshmallows then dipped in dark chocolate. However, next time, I’ll try using invert sugar instead of corn syrup. Lime sounds like an excellent flavor for marshmallows. And I am interested also in the idea of piping the marshmallows. Not heard of that before. It must be difficult to fill the piping bag???
Darienne,
So good to hear from you again!
Your orange marshmallows sound delicious!
Using a piping bag is not hard, I’m sure you can do it.
All the best, Cheers,
Eddy.
Chef,
i’m curious about the instruction to add the gelatin to the warm lime reduction. while i understand not blooming in water to avoid diluting flavor, is the gelatin able to bloom in liquid that hot? also, i would think the acidity of the lime juice would affect the gelatin’s ability to gel. i take it you haven’t had any such issues?
also, is there a reason you prefer a meringue-based marshmallow over one that’s simply a syrup whipped with gelatin?
This looks so neat! I can’t wait to try them! I’ve heard about homemade marshmallows before and I can’t wait to give these a try. The coffee-anise ones sound divine. How would I manage the variation?
Thanks, Chef Eddy!!
Hi Jeffje,
Thank you for your very much comment and question.
In this case, the gelatin is added when the lime reduction is 180F (80C) or below, so it is not too hot to damage or reduce the gelatins ability to set the marshmallow.
On using egg whites, I do prefer the texture of marshmallow made with egg white over using a syrup and gelatin. Do you prefer a non egg white marshmallow?
All the best,
Eddy.
As soon as i read this article i decided to make the marshmallows. They came out far more delicious then i could have imagined.
Great website you have.
Jeroen
This recipe is Superb. Thanks for sharing chef, I mixed it into pink grapefruit sorbet and it is the max.
We will be serving it tonight.
Adrian
The lime marshmallows are good… It can be a little acidic… Oh well, nice product…
Hi Chef Eddy. Thank you again for a wonderful recipe. Can’t wait to make these. Your pictures are so enticing.
Jacki,
Thank you. Hope you will like these as much as I do!
All the best, Eddy.
I made a batch last night with tangerine juice, dipped in dark chocolate, and they were really great. I have some pineapple juice on hand, so I’m going to make another batch of these tonight. Thanks for another great recipe, Chef Eddy!
These are one of my favorites! Light, airy, and simply fantastic!
Yum! I’m definitely going to make these. I’ve been looking for the perfect recipe!
dear chef eddy,
I am very keen in making dessert, and your website has given me a lot of helpful tips.:-)
However, i have observed that many recipes incorporated the use of gelatin sheet. I am currently residing in Malaysia where gelatin sheet is very hard to obtain. The most common ingredient available is the gelatin powder. Does it work as good as gelatin sheet?
Thank you
I think the piped marshmallows are just beautiful. However, while piping them, they were difficult to shape because tails/strings, the marshmallow left behind. They also lost a little of their shape as they fell a little bit. I tried waiting a few minutes for the marshmallow to firm up slightly, thinking that they would pipe more easily, but by then it became too difficult to pipe. Any suggestions?
I am sorry you had trouble with these. If they fell a little bit it may be due to not having the sugar to the correct temperature or not reduced the lime juice enough. (Basically it sounds like there was too much remaining moisture in the batter). The sugar syrup provides stability in holding shape and also during piping. If you decide to give them another try, make sure you do not overcompensate and cook the sugar to a TOO high temperature or reduce the lime juice too much. Doing so will trow off the balance and end up with too firm marshmallow. I am sure you will get them right.
All the best,
Eddy.
Hi, Chef Eddy! Lovely piped marshmallows–I must try them! Just wondering–are the temps you give the same for a marshmallow maker at high altitude–around a mile high in Denver, CO? Thx!
Hello Chef Eddy, I’m not sure if I will like the lime flavoring in the marshmallows; how can I use you recipe for plain vanilla flavored marshmallows?
Thank You for sharing your gift 🙂
Jeannie
Chef your recepies are truely amazing i was wondering can you substitute the 240g lime juice for fruit purees and all?
My husband made these for me (after we had lime marshmallows at a restaurant and I loved them so much I told him I was tempted to run away with the pastry chef).
He used powdered gelatin (substituting 0.9 ounces for the 9 gelatin sheets) and it worked very well.
Hello Chef,
Can I use the same recipe in order to make tangerine marshmallows? If so how much will I reduce the sugar?
Thanks in advance,
Hi there Nicholas,
Good question. What I would do is give it a try as is. The reason I say this is that the lime marshmallow are deliciously tart, not an exact requirement for a tangerine flavor. What you could consider Nicholas is adding some tangerine zest. If using non organic give them a wash using baking soda mixed with vinegar before removing zest. We could run in stability problems if we reduce sugar in large proportions.
If you have a chance I would love to hear from you how they came out.
My best, Eddy.
Hi Chef Eddy, thanks for this recipe. I’m thinking of using marshmallows on top of a cake which will be left unrefrigerated for about three days. What is the shelf life of these marshmallows stored at room temperature? Would you refrigerate them in the summer?
I’ve been reading about marshmallows made with egg whites and have read that marshmallows made with egg whites are a bit of a risk safety wise, some even mentioned food poisoning, and they recommend using recipes without egg whites. Is this true?
Thank you.
Hi Chef Eddy,
I’ve tried several of your posted recipes, mostly the ones for chocolate fillings, and every one of them has turned out amazingly well, considering I’m pretty much a novice – even the nougatine. The only one I had trouble with was the invert sugar, which took 3 goes to get right. Now I use it in all my baking and everything is moist and keeps for ages. Thank you for that recipe alone!
I’ve made marshmallow from your recipe too, but used Meriwhite egg white powder – the same stuff I use for making royal icing. There are no food safety issues with this as there can be with raw egg whites, and the marshmallow (passion fruit in this case) worked perfectly.
Many thanks for your generosity in sharing your skills Chef.
This was really cool for me, I have never made or even tasted flavor marshmallows before.
It was to sweet and to much lime for my tasted. Overall I still enjoyed making; but using less
sugar and less lime juice or a different flavor.
I’m over joyed to finally have made homemade marshmallows. It was so limey and delicious and went perfectly with the Gianduja Cremeux. However, I felt that the ones we made in class wasn’t as firm as the marshmallows you would get at the store. Could we have added more gelatine leaves to make it more firm?
Learning how to make marshmallows was really interesting and quite tasty as well! I’ve been trying to think of different ways to incorporate these into different desserts, and I keep thinking of doing a flavored marshmallow, dipped in chocolate then rolled in crushed homemade graham crackers as a twist to the classic s’more. I think those would make cute desserts at a party that everyone could enjoy!
I’m not a big fan of marshmellows but I am tempted to try and make some. I was never really sure on how too. but now that I see you have a recipe I can try. I’m just not sure about the lime. What other flavoring would you recommend for the marshmellows?
I had always wanted to try making my own marshmallows, and had fun doing it in the plated dessert class, but I found the lime to be too tart for me, maybe I would have liked them better if they had been dipped in chocolate.