Homemade Marshmallows

Im giddy right now. I totally made a marshmallow.

Well, a bunch of marshmallows. I feel like a magician or maybe a scientist.

But definitely not a chicken anymore. Im so excited that my first go at these sugary squares worked out so well.

Off to a good start. Thank goodness.

Anytime I deal with boiling syrup and a candy thermometer, I get nervous. Really nervous. I think its because I dont feel like Im in total control of whats happening. Especially when there are several steps that depend on previous steps being done correctly. And then waiting several hours to find out if the finished product even worked. But I have to say, these were super easy to make.

And even more fun to cut.

Into circles

Rectangles like buttah

And squares

Ive never been much of a marshmallow fan. I could have a bag of marshmallows in the house forever and never think twice about eating any of them.

Until now. Now that Ive made homemade ones I am smitten.

Plus, I love the way they feel. So puffy and soft. Definitely a food thats fun to play with.

These classic vanilla marshmallows are fantastic. The recipe is from the Puffalicious book, Marshmallow Madness.

Cute, huh!

I know, because I couldnt help myself. After super success with the basic marshmallow recipe, I couldnt wait to try another version from the book.

Buttered Rum? No.
Sea Salt Caramel? Nope.
Bubble Gum Marshmallows. I wish.
Maple Bacon? No. I didnt have any bacon or those babies would be stuffed in my cheeks right now.

Instead I went for a layered marshmallow. Two tone. Two tastes. Too much awesome! .

Can you say Peanut Butter and Jelly Marshmallows?

Well, you should. Because they rock.

I was a little skeptical that I could taste the full PB&J effect. But, I was happily satisfied.

They totally taste like peanut butter and jelly. Crazy.

Puffy PB&J. And I loved them. La-la-loved them.

Heres the recipe so you can love them too.

PEANUT BUTTER & JELLY MARSHMALLOWS
From Marshmallow Madness by Shauna Sever

Peanut Butter Marshmallow Layer

Bloom Stage
4 1/2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
1/2 cup cold water

Syrup Stage
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup, divided
1/4 cup water
1/8 teaspoon salt

Mallowing Stage
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

• Lightly coat a 9 X 13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Use a paper towel to wipe and coat the surface of the pan evenly.
• Add gelatin to a bowl of cold water. Whisk together ! and let soften for about 10 minutes.
• In a 1 1/2 quart saucepan, stir together the sugar, 1/4 of the corn syrup, water and salt over high heat.
• Boil, stirring occasionally until the temperature reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. (Make sure the tip does not touch the bottom of the pot)
• While boiling, pour remaining 1/4 cup of corn syrup into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.Microwave gelatin on high for about 30 seconds. Stir again and pour into the mixer bowl. Set the speed to low and keep it running.
• When the syrup reaches 240 degrees F, slowly pour it into the mixer bowl.
• Increase speed to medium and beat 5 minutes.
• Increase speed to medium high and beat 5 more minutes.
• Increase speed to highest setting and beat 1-2 minutes.
• Beat in vanilla.
• Place peanut butter into a small bowl and add a quarter of the batter. Quickly stir until well blended. Scrape the peanut butter mallow back in the mixer bowl with the vanilla batter. Use a large spatula to gently fold the two batters together until mostly blended.
• Pour into prepared pan, using an offset spatula to quickly smooth it out.
• Prepare the grape layer.

Grape Marshmallow Layer

Bloom Stage
4 1/2 teaspoons unflavored powdered gelatin
1/2 cup unsweetened Concord grape concentrate, thawed but still cold
1/4 cup cold water

Syrup Stage
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup, divided
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mallowing Stage
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Classic coating (Sift together 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar and 1 cup cornstarch)

• Make classic coating and set aside.
• Add gelatin to bowl with cold water and grape concentrate. Whisk together and let soften for about 15 minutes.
• In a 1 1/2 quart saucepan, stir together the sugar, 1/4 of the corn syrup, water and salt over ! high hea t.
• Boil, stirring occasionally until the temperature reaches 250 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
• While boiling, pour remaining 1/4 cup of corn syrup into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.Microwave gelatin on high for about 30 seconds. Stir again and pour into the mixer bowl. Set the speed to low and keep it running.
• When the syrup reaches 250 degrees F, slowly pour it into the mixer bowl.
• Increase speed to medium and beat 5 minutes.
• Increase speed to medium high and beat 3 more minutes.
• Increase speed to highest setting and beat 1-2 minutes.
• Beat in vanilla during the last minute.
• Pour into prepared pan, using an offset spatula to quickly smooth it out.
• Sift classic coating evenly and generously over the top. Let set for at least 6 hours in a cool, dry place.
• Use a knife to loosen the marshmallow from the edges of the pan. Invert on a coating-dusted baking sheet. Dust with more classic coating.
• Cut into squares or use a cookie cutter. I used a bench scraper and it worked great. Dip sticky/cut edges of marshmallows into the coating and dust off any excess. Or drop several coated mallows in a sieve and shake off any excess.
• Store in an cool dry place in a pan with the lid slightly ajar to allow air flow. If the mallows resist drying, you can simply dust with more coating for any edges that are damp.

To make Classic Vanilla Marshmallows: follow the directions for the Peanut Butter layer and omit the peanut butter. Pour into the pan and dust with classic coating. Let set for 6 hours. Invert on a baking sheet, dust with more coating and cut into squares. Dust again to cover all sides.

Enjoy and I hope you make some mallows. It will make you feel smart. And if youre a little nervous, check out Marshmallow Madness for tons of tips.

I baked: Boston Cream Pie

The first time I laid eyes on a Boston cream pie, I wanted to make it. It looked like the kind of cake I liked, with a thick layer of pastry cream in the centre.

Boston cream pie is not a pie as its name suggests but is in fact a round cake filled with pastry cream and frosted with chocolate and dusted with icing sugar.

The opportune moment arrived when I was looking for a special cake to make for Father's Day this year. Hubby, like me, is very fond of cakes with cream filling.

You start by making the pastry cream first - I made it a day in advance before I assembled the cake.Pastrycream, better known as crme ptissire is like thick rich custard cream. It is made from a mixture of milk, egg yolks, sugar, flour and cornflour. Now that I know how to make pastry cream, I can make many other delicious desserts such as fruit tarts and eclairs. YUM!

After many hours in the kitchen, I successfully put a beautiful cake together, much to the joy of my family. When Baby C uttered the words "mummy, this cake is yummy", it definitely made the effort worthwhile. I do hope you will find joy in baking this for your family and friends too. :)

Boston cream pie
Serves 8

Ingredients
For the cake
225g plain flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
115g butter, at room temperature
200g caster sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
175ml milk

For the pastry cream (crme ptissire)
275ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 egg yolks, at room temperature
50g caster sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour, sifted
2 tbsp cornflour, sifted
1 tbsp unsalted butter

For the chocolate glaze
30g butter
30g dark chocolate
8 tsp icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

1. Preheat the oven to 190C.

2. Grease two 8 x 2 in (20 x 5 cm) round cake tins, and line the bottoms with rounds of buttered greaseproof paper.

3. Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.

4. Beat the butter and caster sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Add the milk and the dry ingredients alternately, mixing only enough to blend thoroughly. Do not overbeat the mixture.

5. Divide the cake mixture between the prepared tins and spread it out evenly. Bake until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.

6. Peel off the greaseproof paper and cool the cakes on a wire rack.

7. When the cakes have cooled, use a sharp knife to slice off the domed top to make a flat surface. Repeat with other cake.

For the filling:
1. You can make this a day in advance since you need to cool it in therefrigerator. Heat the milk in a saucepan on medium heat until hot but not boiling.

2. In a bowl, combine the yolks and sugar and whisk until thick and slightly pale, about 1 minute. Whisk in the cornflour and flour, mixing until you get a smooth paste. Add the hot milk in slowly while whisking constantly! to prev ent curdling.

3. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and place over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens to a pudding consistency. This will take about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and immediately whisk in the vanilla extract and butter.

3. Pour into a clean bowl and place a piece of cling wrap directly over the top of the cream to prevent crust from forming. Cool to room temperature and refridgerate until needed. Stir before using to get rid of any lumps that may have formed.

For the chocolate glaze:
1. Melt the chocolate with the butter in the top of a double boiler. Add icing sugar to taste, I used about 8 tsp of icing sugar to get desired sweetness-bitterness. You will get a thick paste, but still runny enough to spread onto the cakes. If you find that it is too thick, then add a little milk or water 1 tsp at a time. (If you like more chocolate glaze, just increase the amount to 50g butter, 50g dark chocolate, approx. 12 tsp of icing sugar).

To assemble:
1. Place one cake on a serving plate and spread on the pastry cream in a thick layer. Set the other cake on top, cut side down.

2. Slowly pour the glaze over the cake, allowing it to dribble down the sides, smoothing the top with a spatula. Dust the top with icing sugar and refrigerate until ready to serve.

5 Genuine Filipino Dining Experiences

Lunch @ Kunshan Restaurant

We were working in Kunshan for the day and had lunch at a small restaurant near our factory. Like many other Chinese Restaurants the restaurant serves a variety of Dishes from different regions of China.


Pickled Cucumbers




Vinegar Chicken Feet




Century Egg




Chicken Soup

The soup was ok. It's definitely not as good as Cantonese Chicken Soup


Stir-Fried Yao Mak



Braised Cabbage in Superior Stock

One of my! favorit e dishes. The Cabbage is braised till its fork tender and the Chicken Soup is rich in Chicken Flavor.


Braised River Fish in Pickled Vegetable Stock

The Fish slices were cooked just right and was served in a Chicken Stock that is a little sour and spicy from the Pickled Vegetable and Chilis.


Fried Egg with Noodles

This was a rather typical and bland noodle dish. The soup tasted like water and the noodles were too soft.


Sauteed Prawns in Tomato Sauce

The Prawns although really small were good. The sweetness of the Tomato Sauce actually complemented the flavor of the Prawns.


Shanghainese Braised Pork

The Pork wasn't braised long enough making some pieces a little chewy. The flavor however was decent.


Steam Lu Fish

The fish wasn't really my favorite. It was steamed just right but the meat texture was a little too firm for my liking.


Fried Corn Cakes

Another favorite of mine. The Corn was very crispy and went really well with the Condensed Milk.


Green Tea Pastry with Taro

These were actually really good. You could taste the mild Green Tea Flavor from the Pastry Crust and it went well with the Taro Filling which wasn't too sweet.


Food: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Ambiance: 3/5
Price: N/A


Contact Information
Address: Kunshan City
Tel: N/A
Map: N/A

Recipe: Cheesy Bread Strips

Flour cooked with water to make a roux

Recipe taken fromKitchen Corner, i think i will not make many bread recipe as home-made bread taste tougher and harder than store bought ones, so far my favourite bakery shop is Free Mori, bought their Sampan which is a crispy danish with fragrant salty butter taste topped with cream cheese and blueberry, yum~

fully cooked

topped with cling wrap straight away to prevent skin from forming.

butter, flour(bread flour + plain flour), milk powder, caster sugar, yeast, salt

mixed with water and egg

It was very liquidy although i followed the recipe closely

Had to add lots of flour to finally form it into a dough

egg glaze and pizza topping

Done

my aunts said it was nice but i find it just ok

Related posts:

Recipe: Bread using overnight starter method

Recipe: Experimenting Toast

The Pureimagine has added a photo to the pool:

Muzi Dessert
Nikon D300S, Nikkor AF-S DX 16-85mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR

Cocktails: How to make Bacardi Mojito

What is your favourite cocktail?

Call me boring or old-fashioned, but my favourite cocktail is definitely Mojito. Mojito is a traditional Cuban highball drink, served everywhere in Havana and now popular all over the world.

We recently purchased a bottle of Bacardi Mojito Classic from the duty free and put it to the test. It is a blend of Bacardi superior rum, natural mint and lime flavours and sugar. One would think that you could drink it straight from the bottle (I thought we just had to add ice), but it's not much different than making a Mojito from scratch i.e. you still need to get lime, mint leaves and soda water.

At the back of the bottle, there are instructions on how to put together the drink. It's really simple (and that's what we like!).

I am also a huge fan of Virgin Mojitos - a refreshing drink for a hot day minus the alcohol (especially when I need to be alert around the kids).

Fresh green mint! is real ly important, both for flavour and looks. You want to use springy bunches with thin red stalks and a bright, pale green colour. We pluck ours from our herb garden :) Handy!


Bacardi Mojito
Serves 1

Ingredients
10 mint leaves
1/2 fresh lime, cut into 4 wedges
125ml Bacardi Mojito Cocktail (or you can use 50ml Havana Club rum or Bacardi rum)
1/2 can of soda water (I always substitute mine with 7-up as I like mine sweeter)
4 tsp caster sugar (not needed if using 7-Up or Bacardi Mojito)
Ice cubes or crushed ice
Sprigs of mint, to garnish

1. Place lime wedges and mint leaves into a tall glass. Muddle together to extract the juice and flavour.

2. Half fill the glass with ice cubes, stir, add the rum, stir again and then top with ice. Pour soda water into glass. (I only use about 40-50ml of Bacardi Mojito for my own drink though Hubby likes his strong and as recommended)

3. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

*If you are making a virgin mojito, just follow the above steps minus the alcohol.

Cheers!