In the spirt of summer and refreshing treats I couldn’t help but dwell on the idea of making a savory marshmallow. With the up coming event on the 28th of June I wanted to bring a few things that are different and challenge myself and man did I pick a sticky one to obsessed with.
Game plan
There are tons of marshmallow recipes out there and they are all sweet so trying to get the tomato to shine along side the basil flavours is a bit of a challenge
My initial plan was to use a recipe that has water in it so that I could substitute it with Tomato water to being introducing the Umami flavours. The pulp that is left over I will use it to make a tomato dust that I will be able to coat the marshmallow and have that be the first thing you taste before you get the the sweetness that will come in once you start eating the dessert.
A basil gel will be filled in the center and will hopefully bring a freshness and also cut through the sweetness of the dessert, but also not be overpowering… Crossing fingers
As to how I’ll incorporate the Balsamic without adding too much sour to the desserts flavour will be tricky but I might have to leave it out of the end result.
Tomato water
It’s a pretty simple recipe:
- 6 tomatoes
- 1 tsp of Salt
Blend everything together and let it strain in a coffee filter over a strainer to prevent the coffee filter from breaking due to the weight of the tomato pulp. Let it sit overnight and the liquid that you get from it in the end should be clear and have an intense tomato flavour.
The next step is to make the Basil gel. I used a basic recipe that didn’t have too much sugar to try and let the basil flavour shine a bit more I used the sweet Basil gel recipe from the this website and just reduced the sugar slightly to not alter the flavour too much.
Marshmallow recipe
Now we move on to the good stuff, the one we have all be looking forward to. I tweaked a recipe that had liquid to to so that I had a way to incorporate the tomato water. The amount of liquid may be a bit low so it might not give an very strong flavour in the end but it’s a good starting point.
Recipe
Ingredients:
- Reduced Tomato water 80 ml
- Sugar 200ml
- Balsamic Vinegar 2ml
- Gelatin 3 Sheets
- Egg whites 3
- Salt Pinch
Method
- Combine your tomato water and sugar in a pot and let that heat up to 120 degrees
- While we wait for that to get to temperature bloom your gelatin in cold water
- Whip your egg whites to a soft peak
- Once the sugar and tomato water has reached temperature add your gelatin to the sugar and swirl the pan to allow it to dissolve before streaming in into your egg whites while whipping on high speed.
- Add your salt and whip till cool and fluffy.
- Oil your mold of tin of choice and then allow it to set in the fridge for a few hours.
The results
I was not too happy with the outcome, it tasted like to tomato and the umami was present but not strong enough. It gave more of a sweet and salty vibe which isn’t bad for a start in all honesty. The mistake that I made was dusting it the corn starch and icing sugar, that instantly killed any tomato flavour that was initially present in the marshmallow. I tried to recover but adding the tomato dust that I made from the leftover pulp that was from the tomato water. The batch was ruined and back to the drawing board it was to find a different solution as well as a recipe while I’m at it .
There was quite a bit of liquid as well that was in the box that I kept the marshmallows in and I wasn’t sure if it was from the gel that may have been oozing out or the marshmallow itself, ( my quantities may have been a bit off ) so I decided that the basil should be in a different form instead of a gel maybe it should be crispy and on the outside and the overall experience will be better.
New game plan
In my first thoughts I had the idea of using tomato paste but dismissed it due to the iron or metallic take it can get when it is burned or just in general for my taste. After my first test it was apparent that needed a more intense taste to counteract the sugar since there is no real way to avoid it, since it is needed for structure. There isn’t anything more concentrated in tomato flavour than tomato paste.
The recipe that I used as a starting point is from this site, they generally have great recipes and I tend to riff off of their recipes from time to time.
I might deep fry the basil to get it crispy and then add it on in the end on top of the marshmallow. I have done a similar method with spinach it turned out great, I dusted it with a bit of sugar instead of salt to give it a bit of sweetness so I don’t see why it wouldn’t work with the basil.
This is what the spinach looked like and it really held it’s shape, was crisp and slightly translucent
My adjustments
- I obviously swapped out the miso paste for the Tomato paste instead as that is my goal too get a tomato tasting marshmallow.
- I reduced the sugar to 250g and instead of 350g
- I didn’t follow the egg measurements I just went with three eggs to avoid having leftover egg whites
- I didn’t mix the tomato paste into the sugar syrup cause it ended up affecting the sugar mix and how it incorporated with the egg whites when whipping
- I added the bloomed gelatin in the sugar syrup when it reached temperature and then streamed into the egg whites
- Added the tomato paste a whole mini tin of 140g while whipping the fluff till it cooled down and was ready to place it into the oiled molds
- Set and stored it in the fridge and also didn’t dust the them with any corn starch or icing sugar.
The final result
I was really happy with the end results, the texture and the flavour as well just how I had imagined it would. It took me multiple tries to get to this result. Might tweak it here and there when I do it again but I honestly couldn’t think of another way to improve the marshmallow.
One thing I do want to improve or change is how I made the basil. I initially wanted to deep fry it and get a crispy finish and intense flavour but it didn’t turn out the way I would have hoped. It wasn’t bad but it can better. I think candied basil would have been better, more crisp and hold structure better, yes it will be sweeter but who am I kidding it still a dessert! A little bit of sugar wouldn’t hurt.
Not sure why the basil didn’t react the way I had hoped, could be that the oil wasn’t hot enough or that I didn’t fry it for long enough. I may be too critical of the end result of the basil but we are sometimes our worst critics. Everyone really enjoyed the dessert and I’m glad to have gone through the little roller coaster if it means that I get to see people enjoy the end result. It’s moments like that, where I really appreciate what I do and fuels me for the next project. So thank you to all that have been through this process with me either in person at the events or online !
I was thinking about how I could have incorporated the balsamic part of the caprese salad and if that really necessary. I could have added balsamic pearls perhaps hmm that’s a thought I’ll have to re-visit.
It’s a bit different putting my ideas out in blog from and taking you though my process. A bit refreshing cause it also serves as a reference for me but hopefully a conversation started on how you might have gone about getting to the end result! Let me know what your thoughts are and hopefully you will get the chance to try making it yourself or just indulging in it at the next event 😉
Chat soon
Sweet regards
Keamo
