Does fillet have sole?  Can you have a cup of cocoa without marshmallows*? And what if the marshmallows are homemade?

Brace yourself, but not too hard, because fluffy white marshmallows are easy peasy to produce in your own kitchen.  They’re not baking or a candy making extravaganza, they’re somewhere in between, so be sure to claim expertise in both.

First, a progress report on the Best Couch Ever. Got the fabric and supplies at Jo-Ann yesterday. The store was having a holiday help shortage when we were there, but the hard working part-time workers were as efficient as possible. (Translation: Let’s hear it for part-time workers, the backbone of retail!)

For the upholstery fabric we chose a polyester felt shag on the clearance shelf and a sturdy red canvas to cover the back and make the cording.  So far, it’s turning out better than envisioned.

Now about the marshmallows. The recipe to use is this one by Maida Heatter.  Maida is one of those authors who’s like a good friend each time you open one of her cookbooks.  She has written seven bestsellers on desserts– see this brief interview if you’d like to know a bit about her

Following Maida’s recipe, the five ingredients needed: sugar, corn syrup, 3 packs of gelatin, salt, vanilla. Plus water.

Gelatin softening in water while the sugar and water syrup boil to the soft ball stage.

Pour the hot syrup over the gelatin.  Whip for ten to fifteen minutes.

This is the lovely white, gooey mess you’ll end up with.  You’ll want to quick spread it in a greased 13 by 9 pan to cure overnight. You’ll find the melting qualities of homemade marshmallows are like night and day compared to Jet Puffed.  They add a creamy topping to hot chocolate.  Anybody used them in Rice Krispie treats or s’mores?  Please let us know your results.

*Yes, if you have happen to have some whipped cream of Cool Whip in the fridge.