yummy!! these little cubes look amazing and home-made!! I will try the recipe soon, thanks clotilde! am thinking they would work great in a white hot chocolate...

See, now the next big thing in the food world will be Guimauve au Reblochon. And you will be entirely to blame. :)

I've been meaning to make marshmallows, and I'm especially intrigued by the rose ones. Does the pinkish color come from the rose syrup? I've never seen it, but I know rose water is clear. I think a cherry-rose marshmallow, delicately colored and flavored with maraschino cherry juice, would be nice.

Also: does anyone in the States know where to get gelatin sheets?

Every time I've thrown away recipes I've regretted it later. But over decades, one does amass a mighty pile.

A blogger from Los Angeles that I admire, ("Sweet Napa" is the blog name)does both passionfruit and blueberry marshmallows. I agree that almost any fruit would be worth trying. (And now, flowers too, I see!) And if honey was used, sans any other flavoring, I wonder if the 2 tablespoons would be strong enough to taste.

Oh my goodness, these look SO delicious...

Now, does anyone know how to substitute gelatin powder for sheets?

Perfect timing Clotilde. I had plans to make marshmallow for easter. THey sound so pretty in French.

We used to make marshmallows at home in CA occasionally. The recipe was similar, but no egg whites, and more of the syrup, so honey marshmallows were noticeably honey (actually, See's Chocolates must follow a similar recipe--all the marshmallow in their chocolates is also honey). Cocoa gave a more taffy-like consistency when we tried it, but it was quite good. My favorite, I think, is brown sugar-vanilla.

Alas, no stand mixer in my current kitchen, so no marshmallows.

Here is a variety without egg-whites.

Gorgeous!!! The pinky rose ones are so pretty. I love making marshmallows and often give them away as gifts (with some wonderful homemade cocoa mix!). My soon-to-be sister-in-law is vegetarian, though, and she doesn't trust gelatin, even the synthetic kind, to be animal-product free. Have you (or has anyone?) ever tried this recipe with carageenan, or agar, or another gelling substance?

Rose and chocolate - sounds heavenly! Actually, thinking of all the flower syrups/essences that you've mentioned in the past, it occurs to me that you could make a 'bouquet' of marshmallows - a much tastier gift than cut flowers, though no doubt even more short-lived.

I too would like to know if a vegetarian gelling agent would work. The idea of life as a vegetarian sans guimauve is a very sad one indeed

Caroline and Katybelle: One teaspoon of gelatinpowder equals two leafs of it! Had the problem the other way around, here in Amsterdam.

Beautiful!

I love guimauve... I just made some peppermint ones for Christmas and everyone loved them. I was using glucose but I see you are using agave which is a great idea! I love your blog and your book. Thank you!

Absolutely stunning! What an elegant gift these would make. I can't wait to try them!

Never having been a fan of American marshmallows, I have avoided even trying Guimauve. Until my most trusted boulanger started making his own a few months ago. He puts out little tastes of any new thing, and well, they were purple and beautiful..violet flavored. So amazingly delicious. His other flavors are wonderful too, and I am converted. Anytime you need a tester for the chocolate ones...just let me know.

OH!!!! On David L. blog he has found corn syrup, which would probably also work.

AU SECOURS !!!! I have just read the great article in ELLE A TABLE about you…I had a request for you.. actually I would rather say that a have « une suplication » for you.. please keep alive your blog…. even if you are becoming a big star now… please don’t forget us… I usually don’t post comments (timidité oblige….) but in this case it is really important… so PLEASE… PLEASE… it is such a great pleasure for me (and for so many people I am sure..) to read your blog that you can not abandon us !!!!!

Looks delicious...reminds me of pillowy homemade mochi. :)

Félicitations pour ton reportage dans Elle à table, tout à ton image, simple et gourmand!

Stunning! I've just bought some rosewater, and was pondering on what to do with it....et voila! your beautiful recipe popped onto my screen! Thank you

my favorite thing about jean georges in nyc is the homemade marshmallows at the end of the meal -- well, ok, ONE of my favorite things! this is going on my must-make list!

Never occurred to me to try to make my own marshmallows. They _have_ to be better than the disgustingly things one can buy... maybe will try them for Easter eggs for certain family members who like sweets.

I was very disappointed by Pain's marshmallows too - so pretty looking, but not so pretty tasting.. One has to wonder what they were thinking or maybe drinking when they concocted these?
I knew I should buy those geletin sheets when I saw them at Franprix.
Not sure we have them in the US :(

Hi there!

I don't know if "guimauve" and marshmallows have any differences, but I saw this really cute video on how to make them on design*sponge, it uses corn syrup, which might be easier to find! Here's the link.

I've always wanted to try making my own flavored marshmallow (so I could serve spiked hot chocolate with homemade 'mallows at a party on a winter's eve) but have had the same issue re: glucose. Thanks!

I can't wait to try your recipe... I want to compare these to several other recipes I have. I was thinking that lavendar might be another great flavor, both plain and paired with the cocoa. And passionfruit's a great idea, too. Conveniently, something made me buy a bottle recently at Dean & Deluca in NY. :-)
Alton Brown had a recent marshmallow show and had some great tips for handling them.

how funny - i just tried those at pain de sucre recently and didn't like them at all. both saffron and rose, two of my favorite flavors, but they were a tad too wet and gummy for me. i look forward to trying these!

Your recipe is much much better than the one I had for marshmellows, which I didn't think was perfect yet. I'll definately give your recipe a try! Thanks for sharing. T xx

I am now avoiding the use of corn syrup. I have heard some nasty things about it from a health standpoint. Of course I think all of the warnings about corn syrup are referring to people who drink two liters a day of high fructose corn syrup sweetened soft drinks-- not about people who make marshmallows one time a year! I haven't yet tried cooking with agave syrup but am now anxious to try. I am looking for a neutral flavored syrup.

By the way, I finally made muhammara last night thanks to Clotilde. My family was very very happy. I was so happy I went out and bought the Chocolate and Zucchini cookbook. Congratulations and thank you!

Dory

You mention how sticky the tops of these are as you cut them. When I've made marshmallows, I've dusted the pan with a sugar & cornstarch mixture, and then dusted the top as well, before it sets. After it sets, the top & bottom are not sticky. I cut it and roll the cubes in the powder as you describe, to dust the sides. Would this work here as well, do you think?

What strength was your gelatin?

I see that L'Epicerie, in New York, has gelatin sheets in both 160 bloom and 200 bloom. I have no idea what the bloom value is of the granulated gelatin from the local grocery store.

The mass-produced atrocities I grew up with turned me off of them years ago, but your recipe and some others I've seen recently have made me rethink my aversion to marshmallows.

hey clotilde,
i have some hot tips 4 u 4 your visit to albany (western australia), including the new ROSS (regional, organic or sustainable & seasonal) farmers markets here. happy for you to email me.
cheers, pam in albany

Hello Clotilde,
It is interesting that so much interest have been generated regarding marshmallow as it has been around since the time of the ancient Egyptians. If I may I would like to inject an observation about the glucose... It is simply not a required ingredient in making marshmallow. Glucose is an invert sugar and is used in preventing sugar crystallization. A little acid (lemon juice or even tartar) will do the job quite nicely. A thin wire or nylon fishing filament is a great tool for slicing the marshmallow, sometimes I even pipe the base into certain shapes and often tie knots used for garnishing deserts out of the ropes I have piped. Thank you for your article...

Wow! Ever since I had marshmellows from scratch at a Chicago (US) restaurant, I have been dreaming about trying to make them myself. These look great.

Rose and chocolate do sound like a spectacular flavor combination. I never thought I'd enjoy a marshmallow but I'd be willing to give these a try.

The rose marshmallows look soooo beautiful!! Their colour is absolutely enchanting!

If you are lucky enough to visit Reims try the guimauve from Waida & Fils in Place Drouet d'Erlon. Lovely long strips, their pistachio is wonderful.

Finally! A marshmallow recipe that does NOT rely on corn syrup! I have been bemoaning the loss of my favorite sweet-snack ever since I became old enough to realize (and suffer from!) the health dangers of the icky stuff, but now I can return to my childhood favorite! Clotilde to the rescue! Lol :)

Merci! merci! merci! Moi aussi j'empile les recettes de guimauve depuis des annees sans savoir par quoi remplacer le sirop de glucose, c'est parfait, je vais enfin pouvoir faire des guimauves maison, on n'en trouve pas ici (en Centrafrique).

Thanks for posting this (and by the way I LOVE the pink look to these sexy little marshmallows!)

I've been wanting to make homemade marshmallows for a while now because I'm assuming they're going to taste much better than the bagged version (duh) and they would be a great gift. Thanks for posting this recipe with all the instruction. I will give these a try (definitely dipped in chocolate and possibly sprinkled with pistachio pieces for some saltiness).

Much to my boyfriend's dismay, I thank you sincerely - from the bottom of my heart - for edifying my recipe pack-ratism.

This recipe was a disaster! I used the American measurements, substituted honey for the agave, powdered gelatin for the sheets, rose water for the syrup, and it's just a mess.

The gelatin never completely dissolved, even though I stirred it *forever* and kept it warm. I ended up fishing out gunks of gel globules with a slotted spoon. The rest of it was pretty liquid, and the rose and chocolate ran into each other and swirled together. After refrigeration, all the gelatin pooled on the bottom of the dish in a gooey lake, and I could only carefully slice off the top meringue-y part of the rose side to roll in sugar. The chocolate side was just a big puddle, even after a full day in the fridge.

Right now they've been rolled and are drying, but I tasted one and it's lumpy, even though I stirred the gelatin in as much as I could (see: *forever*).

I trust Clotilde's recipe-writing skills, and I'm sure I'll find a substitute for the big Valentines surprise that I promised my boyfriend...but WHAT did I do wrong?

Thanks for the wonderful recipe . I think i can use the marshmellows to make the fondant for cake decoration,too. Thanks for shatring.

If you like to eat, but not so much cook, Sucre in New Orleans has wonderful marshmallows in rose, vanilla, lemon and lime.

Thanks for responding! I hope I didn't scare anyone from trying out the recipe. It really is rather easy, people.

Let's see, I used two packets (should have been equivalent weight of 14 g, like other comments suggested) of Knox brand Gelatine. It comes four packets to a box, 28 g./1 oz. total. That's the only gelatin I knew of and could find. I briefly considered pectin, as that's what we used to use in grape jelly making back at home.

Yep, I just dumped the gelatin powder in as is, without softening or dissolving. I'm certain now that was the problem. I had thought about dissolving it in liquid, but figured that would throw off measurements.

I still have two packets left, so I may have another crack at it...will let you know how it turns out!

these are a great gifts for anyone, especially for media parties...
i'll be adding these to my already long list of goodies...

for a moment i thought u said "guava" so i was excited about making mellows out of that.

sweet.

OMG I must try making these, they look and sound absolutely heavenly. And I am also very happy to know the French word for marshmallow. My five-year-old goes to a French-language school and I love teaching her new French words. (I am half-French so we are trying to keep passing the language down to each generation.)

My mother and I were both just remarking on how marshmallows can be so average when store-bought, but so supreme when homemade. These look supremely supreme!

i made these the other day with powdered gelatin, and they turned out great - so i figured i'd share what i did, after reading the links above and watching the (adorable!) video.
i disolved one packet, which according to the box was 14 g., of powdered gelatin in some water. left it to sit for about 20 minutes. saw it was still a bit lumpy, so heated a little bit over a pot of simmering water and mixed. (really only a little - was still somewhat lumpy)
mixed it into the hot syrup, which helped dissolve further.
beat that, along with the egg whites, in a (kitchenaid heavy duty) mixer for about 10 minutes, until the mixture didnt look like it was getting any thicker.
flavored with pureed strawberries.
oh - and i used powdered fish gelatin (available as kosher, because of some concerns about what kinds of animals are used for regular gelatin. can explain more if you want)

question though - i think i'd prefer the strawberry flavor to come through more, and the whole thing to be slightly less sweet. i was wary of messing with the proportions on something that is so much like a chemical experiment!
if i use less sugar, or put in more fruit juice/puree, will the consistancy change much? i wanted to make sure they held together.

Speaking about ELLE, I saw the feature about you in the recent ELLE à Table, very cool! Congrats!

Hi all, Liesl of the disaster-kitchen weighing in again. I did try the recipe again, and it worked better, but not perfectly.

This time, I softened the 14 grams of gelatin powder in 3T lukewarm water, and then put it over a bath of just-barely-simmering water during the time it took to whip the egg whites and make the sugar syrup, stirring occasionally. Have the pre-measured rose syrup/water handy in a glass, because that stuff REEKS when it gets warm and clear.

The marshmallows set up much better this time, although there was still a 2 mm thick layer of rose or chocolate Jello at the bottom of the foam. I don't know why it keeps separating. Too much whipping of the egg whites? Too little?

Tips for any would-be-marshmallower:

1. There will be drips. Wipe up any drips as soon as they happen, or you will have sticky tracks all over the house.
2. Do sift the chocolate before you dissolve it, and make sure there are no lumps when you fold it into the marshmallow. It's kind of surprising to bite into a soft pillow of marshmallow and hit a hard chocolate lump.
3. If your mixing bowls are of the glass and very old variety, let the sugar syrup cool a tad before pouring it slowly into the egg whites. Unless you are certain that replacement bowls are available on EBay. (They are.)

Thank you very much for this good idea. The marshmallows came out perfect. You can have a look at my picture here.

No problem to find the rose syrup in the shop you indicated (by the way, price is up to 7,50 Euros now).
I added the syrup to water and to milk and I like it very much.

Your blog is my favourite food blog for at least 1 1/2 years. Please continue.

Clotilde, thanks so much for this recipe! I've been wanting to make marshmallows for some time but never got up the courage. I tried this recipe twice and got it right on the second try. (The first, well, I know nothing about gelatin. So I didn't read any instructions and just dumped some packets of powdered gelatin right in the mix without letting it bloom!)

A few things that caught me up:

For Americans, two packets of Knox gelatin is about right for this recipe. I let it bloom in three or four tbsps of water -- whatever the link Clotilde offered suggested. I didn't need to melt it separately -- I melted it with the sugar/honey solution after the latter had simmered. Strain the skin out.

I wasn't able to get both flavors in the same pan easily. The first time, the chocolate ran right under the rose, leaving a two-layer effect for most of the pan. The second time, I stuffed two separate parchments in one pan, sort of scrunching each up to form a half-pan trough. That worked quite well.

I was surprised by the consistency of the finished product -- I guess I never realized what fresh marshmallows were like! We had some artisanal ones in our room at the Lutetia this summer, and of course we've had the stale bagged white ones in America, but very fresh ones are far squishier and juicier than I expected. I had to taste one that had finally been powdered and ready before I believed the recipe had turned out right.

I also had to cut the parchment paper away from the sides of the marshmallow, which I hadn't expected. They are very sticky. But once powdered they're perfect!

Thanks again!

Thanks for a new flavor and new ingredients! Like you, I've been collecting marshmallow recipes. I've actually tried several and have had success which is why I'll NEVER eat store bought again. A couple of suggestions for readers: 1. the sheet gelatin is available in the US - in Berkeley you can find it at Spun Sugar on University Ave., and you can also find it at this Amazon link http://www.amazon.com/Gelatin-Sheets-Silver-Label-ChefShop-com/dp/B000W2376K/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&m=A28GLIK6QJN1CA&s=generic&qid=1203485904&sr=1-10. Rose syrup is available also at Amazon, but again, I found it locally at A.G. Ferrari which carries Italian foods in the bay area (specifically it was at the Piedmont Ave. location in Oakland, because my local Montclair shop was out!). Sadly it costs $32.99. Finally, I'm also obsessed with making a vegetarian marshmallow for friends (not vegan) and I've tried agar agar with very poor results.....after reading every thread of every vegan and engineer trying to create a vegan one with the experience of science and cooking behind them. Anyway, the one recipe I found that WORKS for vegetarians comes from the latest cookbook "Demolition Desserts" by Elizabeth Falkner of Citizen Cake in San Francisco. She uses Xanthan Gum which is very easy to find here at Berkeley Bowl or Whole Foods. If anyone is interested, let me know and I can e-mail you the recipe - just be aware that it does contain corn syrup for those of you who don't care for that. Anyway, I'm going to try making these tomorrow now that I've gathered all the proper ingredients. Wish me luck!

These guimauves look totally yummy in the pics, but um... i'm not such a great chef, so recipes that begin with the words "On day one.." make me a little nervous. Hopefully I can muster up enough courage to attempt these little guys!

Me again....I am so happy. These marshmallows turned out exactly as I had hoped. Thank you thank you thank you! I'm not sure if it's the sheet gelatin that makes the difference, or the fact that there's no corn syrup, but these are lighter and fluffier than any I've made in the past. I decided to only make the rose flavored in the pan....it provided less stress than separating everything and trying to do it so quickly. A couple of tips that worked for me: I used a spray oil on the pan, wiped it down to a very sheer amount, then dusted with sifted confectioner's sugar on the bottom and up the sides. When I cut them to take them out...no problem at all. Also, for those freaked out by "Day one...." - realistically you can pull these out of the refrigerator after about 3-4 hours and they'll be fine. My brand of rose syrup didn't turn mine pink....that's okay. I noticed my rose syrup is sort of a simple syrup with rose, so I think when I make different flavors, I'll make a simple syrup and add my preferred flavor to that, then substitute it for the rose syrup so that my quantities stay similar. I am also going to try the xanthan gum for my vegetarian friends....basically don't add gelatin to the syrup on the stove - after adding all of the hot syrup to the egg whites, add 1 1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum and continue whipping as directed. And remember - white sugar is purportedly bleached through animal bones, so if your friends are truly up on this, you'll need to find an appropriate unbleached sugar to substitute. Whole Foods sells a vegan cane sugar that is also Fair Trade certified. There is also Rapadura - unrefined and unbleached organic whole cane sugar (Fair Trade also), but it has a distinctly molasses flavor that is good on it's own, but will mess up any additional flavorings you're going for, and your marshmallows will be tan-colored.

Ever since I saw 'old fashioned' marshmallows in a Williams Sonoma catalog ten years ago, I've been on the hunt for a more natural marshmallow (read: corn syrup-less).
And ever since I first tasted rose ice cream in an Indian restaurant in Boulder, I've been looking for another rose confection experience.
I definitely have to try these! Thank you!!

Like Leisel, my gelatin pooled at the bottom. I did not write it off as a complete disaster, as they still tasted and felt like marshmallows, although a bit wet still. Sadly I have limited cookware and my bowl was not large enough, nor my hand blender powerful enough. So I had to stop whipping for fear of killing the blender and overflowing the bowl. They turned out fine. Will try again in the future.

Marshmallows, even the crummy storebought ones, are my favorite food ever. (After all, I'm fluffernutter.) I'm staggered by how gorgeous and voluptuously delicious these look. My mother has been asking me to make marshmallows for years and even sent me a Martha Stewart recipe. Although I make some insanely complicated food,something about the faff factor and the corn syrup -- just too much work for a not-guaranteed result. But I'm thinking it's time to change that. A chocolate marshmallow would be nature's perfect food. Thanks for the inspiration.