Marshmallow Monday

These cold and rainy days are perfect for a hot cup of cocoa and a homemade marshmallow. If you haven't had a homemade marshmallow, you are in for a real treat. The texture is AMAZING! As a convert myself, I was astounded to discover the pillowy soft texture of a freshly made marshmallow. They melt in your mouth and you can cut them into beautiful shapes.

So, I'll share an easy recipe with you as well as some fun food science facts about marshmallows.

First, marshmallows are actually a foam- they are a made with sugar and gelatin with plenty of whipped in air. Click here for the recipe link and below I'll show you the step-by-step.

1. Start by measuring the corn syrup with sugar, water and salt in a saucepan. You will need a candy thermometer for this step. Temperature is critical to make sure you bring the mixture to the appropriate sugar concentration. The temperature will affect the crystallization and texture of the candy.

2. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then, without stirring, take the mixture to 238F which is the soft ball stage. Make sure the candy thermometer does not touch the bottom of the pan to get an accurate measurement. Be very, very careful as the sugar is molten and can cause serious burns if touched.

For more information about the different cooking stages of sugar, click on this link to the Exploratorium site on the Science of Candy. It's a great link and hilarious as well.

2. While you are waiting for the sugar mixture to come up to temperature, mix the unflavored gelatin and water in a bowl for at least 5 minutes. This step is hydrating the gelatin. Gelatin is a protein that will stabilize the foam and keep the air bubbles that you will whip in from collapsing. I think powdered gelatin has a stinky smell when it is rehydrated. Gelatin is typically an animal product in case you are vegan or vegetarian. Don't worry, the marshmallows won't taste or smell like that.

3. Once the sugar solution is up to 238F and the gelatin has been hydrated, carefully pour the hot mixture into the bowl with the gelatin and using the whisk attachment, gradually take the mixture to high speed for 12 min.

4. The mixture will transform from a transparent solution to a thick, white mixture that looks like a taffy marshmallow. Add the vanilla.

5. While the mixture is thick, it still flows.

6. Spread the mixture into an oiled 9 X 13 glass dish lined with parchment and oiled again. I use a spray oil to even coat the pan and even the spatula, to prevent sticking. The mixture is sticky and tacky!

7. The recipe says to let the mixture sit for 3 hours or more. I don't always wait that long though. Remove the marshmallow from the dish onto a cutting board with powdered sugar.

8.Using powdered sugar to prevent stickiness, I cut the marshmallows into shapes like stars, trees or snowflakes. Toss the marshmallows in powdered sugar to coat them.

And there you have it! These marshmallows are beautiful in a cup of hot cocoa or delicious on their own! Enjoy!

Tis the Season for Sweets: No-Bake Chocolate Peppermint Cookies

Tis the season for parties, gatherings and lots of reasons to bring some sweets. We needed to bring a dessert to a party tomorrow, but after long week, I didn't have the time and energy to bake. So, using only a microwave, I made these lovely chocolate peppermint cookies. If you followed my original baking blog, these will look familiar but I decided to use semi-sweet chocolate as well as white this time.

You will need:
• peppermint candies or candy canes
• white chocolate chips
• semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Nabisco famous chocolate wafers
• peppermint extract (optional)

1. Start by crushing the peppermints in a plastic bag with a rolling pin.

2. Using a sieve, separate the fines from the larger chunks.

3. This will give you two different options for the candy cane topping. I prefer the chunky peppermint pieces versus the fines.

4. Melt the chocolate in a bowl in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. Add a drop or two of peppermint extract and stir. Drop the chocolate wafer into the bowl and spoon the melted chocolate over the top. Carefully remove using a spoon to lift the cookie from underneath, and place on wax paper. Sprinkle immediately with the candy cane pieces.

5. Don't worry if the chocolate spreads on the wax paper, once it hardens you can trim the edge.

6. If you want to speed up the hardening, place the cookies in the refrigerator.

And there you have it, chocolate-covered crunchy wafers that look festive and taste great. Make sure you keep them in cool place as the chocolate could melt if it gets too warm.

Food Science Friday: What you may just win at the Food Science Holiday Raffle

Lauren and I recently attended the Holiday meeting for the Northern California Section of our professional scientific society, the Institute of Food Technologists. It was a time for folks in the local food industry to come together for dinner, fellowship, and an entertaining lecture on the evolution of the tofu and soy milk industry in Europe and the US . . . it was truly a grand time!

Another staple at these events is the student raffle put on by the UC Davis Food Tech Club. Members of the local industry donate prizes, students sell tickets, and those dinner patrons that buy tickets reap the rewards! Lauren and I were just so lucky and took home a copy of What Einstein Told His Cook 2: The Sequel: Further Adventures in Kitchen Science. It was a great addition to our food science library because we already own the first volume, What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained. However, if you're starting your own food science library the classic "kitchen chemistry" text is Harold McGee's On Food And Cooking . . . it is a must have for those interested in food, complete with a helping of science, double scoop of history, and dash of lore. Back in my Teaching Assistant days in graduate school McGee's work inspired many a Food Chemistry lecture . . . and it would also make a great holiday stocking stuffer!

One Word Wednesday...Crystal

As in salt crystals. The coarse grey salt is Brittany grey from France and the white salt is Pacific sea salt, given to me by my friend, Bargirl. The two lovely salt dishes were given to me by my friend, M, for my birthday. Ah, they know me so well.

Do you have a favorite salt?

Holiday Rituals: Knife Sharpening

Back in my Boy Scout days part of getting my "Whittling Chip" (name for the training and right to use a pocket knife and other sharp implements) was some instruction in the use of a sharpening stone. The general principle I learned then is common among the many sharpening techniques: movement of the blade across a harder than steel surface at a consistent angle. In Scouts a knife-related foul would result in one of the older Boys tearing off of one of the four corners of your Whittling Chip card (sometimes capriciously) . . . when all the corners were gone you'd be in for repeat training. To avoid any sharpening mishaps in adult life I purchased the Chef's Choice 130 Sharpening Station.

I'll use the sharpening station to touch up my knives several times a year. The unit includes three positions:
1) Diamond Abrasive
2) Steeling
3) Stropping/Polishing

The sequence of pulls through the positions will determine what type of edge you would like to create in your knives. At the core of sharpening is manipulating the microscopic burrs on the surface of the edge. A few pulls through the stropping disc (3) will straighten the edge on a somewhat dull blade and will be all that is necessary to recover sharpness. When the blade has significantly dulled a true resharpening is in order so use of the diamond abrasive disc (1) will re-sculpt the edge by removing metal. The steeling position (2) in this unit will impart a series of microscope serrations that give the edge more 'bite' that is ideal for cutting fibrous foods. In all positions a precise angle is maintained to impart maximum and consistent sharpening.

If you're looking for a fast and easy way to maintain your knives and keep them in top form for holiday cooking, a electric sharpener is a simple way to go.

Holiday Refresher: Sweet Tart Cranberry Spritzer

With all of the delicious holiday food this season, we wanted to have a light and refreshing beverage to drink. This sweet tart cranberry spritzer was the perfect holiday "water" to add to your table.

This recipe is adapted from Cool Waters by Brian Preston-Campbell. I'm pretty excited about this book for some flavorful and fresh alternatives to alcohol, juice and soda.

For our version, we used:

• 1 cup of fresh cranberries, plus extra for garnish
• 1 large Red Delicious apple, cored and chopped
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, save some lemon slices for garnish
• a pinch of nutmeg
• a bottle of sparkling water
• 4 cups of tap water

We used our VitaMix and blended the cranberries, apple, lemon juice and 4 cups of water for at least a minute on high speed.

We strained the seeds and pulp out and added the sparkling water as well as ice cubes. Add cranberries and lemon slices for garnish. Enjoy!

Food Science Friday: Pectin Power

We're adding this to the must-make list for next year. This tangy cranberry-ginger relish is easy to make and really perks up your roast turkey either on the plate or in a sandwich. But, when we made this recipe, we were really taking advantage of the natural pectin that is present in cranberries to create a gel.

When you buy jam or jelly in the store, you often see pectin in the ingredient list. Pectin is a carbohydrate that acts as a thickener or gelling agent. Fruits have varying amounts of natural pectin. (Click here for a link that classifies fruit by its pectin content.) For example, citrus peels have high pectin content while in soft fruits like strawberries or raspberries, there isn't enough natural pectin to make a firm gel in a jam or jelly. In those cases, additional pectin can be added if a firmer gel is desired. The combination of pectin, with sugar to bind the water, and an acid like lemon juice or vinegar to adjust the pH- can create the conditions for pectin chains to bind to each other and form a gel. Cranberries have enough natural pectin such that we didn't need to add any extra and they are naturally acidic as well.

There are five simple ingredients in this recipe: sugar, water, cranberries, red wine vinegar and ginger. For the recipe, click here.

1. Start this recipe by grating fresh ginger and rinsing the cranberries.

2. Combine them in pot with sugar and water. Bring to a boil and simmer until most of the cranberries have burst, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in the vinegar.

3. You will see the mixture has visibly thickened and if you make this ahead of time and put it in the fridge, it will have completely gelled into a delicious accompaniment for your turkey or pork!

So forget the canned cranberry, use the power of natural pectin and make your own next year!

One Word Wednesday: Mashed

These aren't ordinary mashed potatoes, these are our neighbor DezMo's holiday potatoes. The reason they are holiday potatoes is because these velvety smooth potatoes are sooo rich, you can only eat them on a holiday!

Here's how you do it:

1. Peel and half your potatoes.
2. Boil until tender. Drain.
3. Mix the potatoes with a stick of softened butter, a package of softened cream cheese and a bit of milk or heavy cream. We rice our potatoes using a ricer to get rid of the lumps but you can blend them in a mixer or use a masher.

The cream cheese is the secret. It won't taste cheesy, just smooth and delicious!