We are all stuck inside on week 5million of lockdown here in Melbourne and I have been feeling it this week. Its been POURING rain all week, with storms, wind, hail, mud and below zero freezing temperatures for days on end. Its been hard to get outside, let alone away from the fire place. I have been dabbling in what little work I have left, with a bit of homeschooling and lots of cleaning and cooking. I dont know about anyone else, but somehow my life has turned into a series of checklists to make me feel as though i've actually achieved something for the day other than purely existing.
I wake up, I get the pigs out of bed, feed them breakfast and clean up their sleeping area. After that I pick a treat, usually apples so they will follow me, and we walk down to the pen where they spend their day digging in the mud, sleeping in their pig palace and yelling at me from a distance for more food. I come back up the olive grove and start my day. Lighting the fire is the first thing I do, followed by making the beds and an extra long burning hot shower to thaw my bones... (dont judge me, were on rain tank water).
After that the task of finding something remotely productive begins. I clean whatever surface crosses my path, I vacuum and mop way to many times for it to be considered sane. I feed Heath breakfast, lunch and snacks if he's here and help him with his school work. Every now and then an a few hours of work hits my inbox. Then come 5pm I walk back down to the pen to pick the piggies up, we come inside and have dinner, clean up, put the kids to bed, both furry and human...and thats it. That is the current extent of my days. They are long yet somehow go quickly. I stare at walls and my phone way to often, and eat way to much. What a time where in huh?. I long for the days I can leave my suburb, let alone my house.
This weekend the weather has been feral again, we have all be sitting on the couch spending way to much time on technology so I thought we could all do some baking to break the day up. I LOVE marshmallows, but the store bought kind can taste a bit overpowering and fake at times, so I thought id give making my own a crack.
These are ten times better then any store bought marshmallow you will ever buy, trust me. These are super delicious and perfect for wintery rainy days in front of the fire, hot chocolates or bonfires. Heath thought they were epic and said "this is the best dessert i've ever had" - so theres a plus.
I served ours on a s'mores platter, with milk and dark chocolate, graham cracker biscuits, foraged sticks and some jarred caramel... it was a winner and will 100% be trotted out for future entertainment desserts.
HOMEMADE VANILLA MARSHMALLOWS
INGREDIENTS:
6 egg whites
19 gelatin leaves, soaked in cold water
780 g caster sugar, divided into 2 bowls with 555g and 225 grams each
300 ml water
Seeds of 1 vanilla bean or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted, for dusting
1/2 cup corn flour, sifted, for dusting
METHOD: 1. Place the gelatin leaves in a bowl of cold water to soften. This will take about 5 minutes so.
2. Line your dish with with baking paper. (I used two square pans that were around 25CM x 25CM)
3. Start the sugar syrup first, by placing the 555 g of caster sugar and 300ml water into a saucepan. Cook it on medium heat until it reaches 127 degrees. (Once it hits this point take it off the heat) This may take a few minutes and you might need a candy thermometer to watch the temperature. (I dont have a candy thermometer, and because of rona wasn't able to get my hands on one, so I just cooked it down until all sugar had dissolved and it started to boil slightly, if your syrup turns a straw colour you've gone to far, it needs to still be clear when you take it off the heat).
4. While you’re waiting for your sugar syrup to dissolve, squeeze out any excess water from your gelatin leaves which will have softened and place them in a bowl over a saucepan with hot water to melt completely.
5. Combine your melted gelatin and vanilla with your sugar syrup.
6. Whisk your egg whites until they become soft peaks, slowly pour in the 225 g of caster sugar. It will start looking like meringue. Keep the egg whites whisking and slowly pour in the gelatin /sugar syrup mixture down the side of the bowl. When it’s all in, keep it whisking another 7 minutes or so until the mixture has cooled down.(Ours took about 15/20 minutes to cool down and thicken up, your mixture shouldn't be runny, it should be thick) It will be like a meringue but oozy and sticky.
7. Using a spatula, transfer the mixture into your prepared baking tray and smooth it out.
8. Place the tray into the fridge so the marshmallows can set for around 2 hours or overnight.
9. When the marshmallows are ready, slowly peel the baking paper away from the edges and cut into squares. If your marshmallows are sticky to cut, dust your knife in the icing sugar/corn flour mixture. It will be wobbly and sticky. Mix the icing sugar and corn flour together, and dust the squares in the mix. That’s it! Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
10. ENJOY any way you wish!!
This recipe was adapted from Magdalena Roze Happy and Whole Cook Book.
Yorumlar