Raspberry Sherbert Marshmallows

Marshmallows with a twist – Raspberry Sherbet!
Ingredients:450g caster sugar1 tbsp glucose200ml water
2 large egg whites
150ml raspberry puree (from approx 225g raspberries)
2 x sachet Dr Oetker gelatine powder½ tsp citric acid
To coat:50g icing sugar50g cornflour½ tsp citric acid

Citric acid seems like a strange ingredient but it’s what gives the marshmallows their sherbety kick! You can buy it from the chemists and is pretty cheap at around £1.00. If you don’t fancy the sherbet just leave it out.

Start by mixing up the coating so you’ve got it ready for later, sift together the icing sugar and cornflour and ½ tsp of citric acid. Place it in a bowl and set to one side.
Prepare the puree, the way I make it is to heat the raspberries up in a bowl in the microwave and once they’re warm and squishy I push them through a seive to remove all the seeds. You can alternatively blitz them in a blender or heat in a pan before seiving.

You will need 150ml of puree which can be made from approx 225g of raspberries, you may need slightly more or less raspberries depending on their juciness.
Once you have the puree ready to go, heat it up again, either in the microwave or a pan. Once nicely warm sprinkle in the sachets of gelatine a little at a time and stirring to dissolve. The heat encourages the powder to dissolve. If it’s not dissolving heat the puree again until it does. Add the ½ tsp of citric acid and stir. Put to one side.

In a pan place the sugar, water and tablespoon of glucose. The glucose is not essential but it does control the sugars crystallisation so it is a help. Liquid glucose now comes in handy tubes. If you place the tube in a mug of hot water before measuring out it makes it far easier to work with!

Start heating the pan to dissolve the sugar and then let it bubble away. We need the syrup to reach 127c so you will need a sugar thermometer and it will take some time. Let it do its thing, keeping an eye on the temperature while we prepare the rest.
You will need 2 8″x8″ tins, or one large tin. Line them with foil, spray with a little spray oil and then dust liberally with the icing/cornflour coating we made earlier. Set them to one side.

When the temperature of sugar syrup is reaching 110c or thereabouts place the egg whites in a large bowl and start whisking. Whisk until the egg whites start to form stiff peaks and then stop.

Wait for the sugar syrup to reach 127c. Once it does remove the pan from the heat and then carefully because the syrup may bubble up add the raspberry puree/gelatine mixture. Swirl to combine.

Turn on the egg whites to whisk again and very slowly and carefully begin to pour in the rapsberry syrup from the pan in a slow steady stream, avoiding the whisk attachment.
Continue whisking and pouring until all the syrup is into the whisking egg whites.
Leave the machine whisking for 7-10 minutes until the marshmallow is cooled and super thick glossy and sticky!

Divide the mixture between the tins and smooth the tops with a spatula or the back of a spoon.

Dust the top of the mixture liberally with the coating and now put to one side to set. The marshmallow needs to be at room temperature and never in the fridge. Leave to set ideally overnight.
Once set the marshmallow is ready to be cut into chunks.
Dust a board with the coating mixture and tip out the sheet of marshmallow, removing the foil layer.

You will need a long sharp knife to cut it into strips. It helps to grease the knife which will stop the marshmallow sticking. You may also have to clean the knife fairly often. Turn the cut strips to coat the cut edge in the coating.

Repeat until all the marshmallow is cut into chunks and dusted.

The cubes will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container at room temperature. If they get a little sticky just redust them as and when!
If you don’t fancy raspberry any fruit puree in the same quantity will work – or why not try lemon curd instead. Marshmallow can also be coloured using gel paste colours, just add a dash of colour once the syrup and egg whites have been combined.