PrintSo, Vegetarian Marshmallows. Can they be done well?
I told a friend that I would make anything for her birthday that she wanted. She chose vegetarian marshmallows. Not being a vegetarian, I had no idea how to approach this, and so far an internet search has revealed that 1) Agar-agar is a great alternative to animal-based gelatine. 2) No, it totally isn't, especially in marshmallows. 3) But there's this stuff called Emes Kosher Gel that totally works! 4) Except it was revealed that their gelatine had animal products in it, and a bunch of vegan candymakers almost went out of business. Back at square one.
I'm lost. Any ideas?
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14 Comments:
I would buy sweet and sara's or vegan essential's marshmallows online (sweet and sara's are at some WFs, etc., too). There is also a vegan marshmallow kit that you can order. Ricemallow, while a vegetarian marshmallow fluff, works fine in s'mores and PB Rice Krispies. And hot cocoa.
Sadly, the people who invent good vegetarian marshmallows want to sell their marshmallows, not their recipes.
KarynMC at 7:02AM on 05/15/08
In her book Demolition Desserts, Elizabeth Falkner provides a recipe for marshmallows made with xanthan gum. I've never made them, but I have no doubt that they're excellent. Send me an email if you want the recipe (raspberryeggplant at gmail dot com).
charm city cupcake at 7:08AM on 05/15/08
i would tell my friend to pick something else.
carriebwc at 9:33AM on 05/15/08
I use Ricemallow a lot. It's really good, but you can't make marshmallows with it.
@charm city cupcake, having recently found out I have a serious wheat allergy, I am just getting acquainted with xantham gum. I've made regular marshmallows many times, but can't imagine how the xantham gum would work in place of the gelatin. May I e-mail you for the recipe? (-- Or, maybe you could just post it here if you don't want a lot of e-mails.)
Brownie at 12:03PM on 05/15/08
To anyone who wants the xanthan gum marshmallow recipe - feel free to email me for it. I'm one of those people who doesn't like posting recipes from cookbooks. : /
charm city cupcake at 12:25PM on 05/15/08
This shows that I don't think about the process when I'm eating some things. I never really gave two thoughts about how to make marshmallows until this post, which led me to read:
http://itdg.org/docs/technical_information_service/marshmallows.pdf
Wow.
Good luck on your project~
Cassaendra at 2:28PM on 05/15/08
Thanks, everyone. I'm not sure I'll have access to xanthan gum by tomorrow, but I'll check it out. I'll let you know how it turns out!
BangieB at 3:18PM on 05/15/08
I can't figure out how to e-mail you, charm city cupcake!
KarynMC at 4:03PM on 05/15/08
@BangieB -- I get mine at Whole Foods. Hope that helps!
@charm city cupcake -- Thank you. I'll e-mail you.
Brownie at 5:07PM on 05/15/08
@BangieB - is your friend vegan or just vegetarian? If she eats eggs, you can make marshmallows with egg whites (they were originally made with egg whites and starch from the marsh mallow plant's root).
You're essentially just making a meringue, but not drying it out all the way. Find a recipe for an Italian meringue (the kind with a cooked syrup), make it, then turn the resulting fluff into a square pan that's been oiled and dusted with confectioners sugar. Let it sit uncovered 2-4 hours, then wrap it but leave a few holes for air flow, and leave it at room temperature overnight. The next day, turn the whole meringue out of the pan and onto a confectioners sugar-dusted board. Use scissors to cut it into squares, and roll each in more confectioner's sugar.
butterface at 11:10PM on 05/15/08
Butterface, marshmallows aren't simply Italian meringue. They require some kind of gelling agent such as gelatin or xanthan gum (or marshmallow root!). Without a gelling agent, they won't get set and get that distinctive springy texture.
charm city cupcake at 2:09AM on 05/16/08
@charm city cupcake, I know marshmallows aren't just meringues. But soft meringues are a gelatn-free alternative to marshmallow, and I wanted BangieB to know she had an option if she couldn't find xanthan gum or a vegan marshmallow kit.
butterface at 8:59AM on 05/16/08
Angel Foods sells vegan marshmallow kits that you can whip up at home. The kits are easy to use and the results are yummy. I used half of the marshmallow mixture as a "meringue" topping on lemon bars. I'm vegan, so this was a very, very big deal. :)
amyrose44 at 11:32AM on 05/16/08
Thanks everyone, for the tips. I didn't have time to get xanthan gum, or a vegan marshmallow kit, so I made them from a recipe I had found - it didn't work. The whisk went round and round for minutes on end... and it just stayed liquid. But I'll take everyone's tips for next time. Thanks!
BangieB at 2:07PM on 05/18/08