Traditional Mallow Marshmallows Recipe
by Nicola Lando
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30 minutes prep time
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30 minutes cook time
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Intermediate
Unbeknown to many marshmallows take their name from the mallow plant which was traditionally used to produce them. The pith and sap of the root were cooked in syrup and then dried to produce a sticky sweet. The French developed a recipe that incorporates beaten egg whites giving marshmallows their characteristic fluffy, chewy texture.
This take on the marshmallow brings together both traditional and modern methods – instead of using the root of the mallow plant we are using its fragrant, stunning blue flowers whipped into beaten egg whites and cooked with sugar syrup. Delicately perfumed, coloured a natural pastel green from the mallow flower; they make an elegant gift stacked up in a ‘Le Parfait’ glass jar.
For the syrup - prepare the night before Serves: 10
- 60g caster sugar
- 30g water
- 5g mallow flowers (1 packet)
For the marshmallows
- 75g water
- 350g caster sugar
- 35g liquid glucose
- 8 gelatine leaves
- 2 egg whites
- 3 tablespoons of icing sugar
- 3 tablespoons of corn flour
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 deep baking tray, or a number of ring moulds
Special equipment
Method
- The day before making the marshmallows prepare the mallow syrup. Gently heat 60g caster sugar with 30g water and two-thirds of a packet of mallow petals. Simmer for a few minutes. Leave to cool and refrigerate overnight.
- Oil a deep baking tray, or the base of a baking tray and a number of ring moulds.
- Mix together the icing sugar and corn flour. Sift over the baking tray to coat the bottom.
- Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water.
- Heat the water, caster sugar and liquid glucose in a pan. Using a thermometer bring the mixture to 130°C.
- Meanwhile beat the egg whites on top speed in a mixer until they form firm peaks.
- When the sugar mixture reaches 130°C, squeeze the gelatin leaves to remove as much water as possible. Add the gelatine and mallow syrup (including the mallow petals) to sugar syrup mixture, and stir.
- Continue beating the egg whites, and slowly pour in the hot syrup.
- Turn down the speed on the mixer and continue beating until the mixture has cooled enough to be handled (around 5 minutes.)
- Pour into the pre-prepared baking tray - or moulds - and refrigerate.
- Once set, cut up the marshmallow and roll in the icing sugar and corn flour mixture.
- Decorate with the remaining mallow flowers.
About the author
Nicola Lando is the co-founder and CEO of Sous Chef, where she has spent more than a decade sourcing, tasting and selecting specialist ingredients, cookware and tableware from producers around the world.
She trained at Leiths and later completed a stage at a Michelin-starred London restaurant, experiences that helped shape Sous Chef’s original mission: to give home cooks access to the same exceptional ingredients used by professional chefs.
Today, Nicola leads much of Sous Chef’s product sourcing and ingredient selection, working directly with producers and travelling internationally to food fairs, farms, mills and manufacturers. She tastes thousands of products each year and has built deep expertise across storecupboard ingredients, olive oil, condiments, spices, preserved foods and specialist cooking ingredients.
She holds an olive oil sommelier certification from ESAO in Spain, Imperial Executive Education’s Certificate in Nutrition for Health: Evidence-Based Tools and Strategies certificate; as well as studying Food Safety and Control at University of Greenwich.
Nicola also writes recipes and ingredient guides for Sous Chef, combining practical cooking experience with first-hand knowledge from producers, suppliers and specialist food makers. Her work focuses on helping cooks understand how to choose better ingredients, use them well, and get more flavour from their cooking.
