Merry Christmas to all of you, and may God bless you in 2012. Thank you for your encouragement.

Homemade pops made from Marshmallow Fondant

Marshmallow Fondant is the way to make cake better, you can add one marshmallow layer. It was actually a nice change for me. But it is really different from true fondan. The result was one big marshmallow, tasty because I used strawberry marshmallows, but to be honest not fondant. Maybe I made something wrong. I don´t have a microwave oven, so I used a kitchen stove. And there is a result:

It was a big success. For those who like marshmallows there is recipe adapted from http://aspicyperspective.com.  It saves tons of money. 

How to Make Marshmallow Fondant

Ingredients

• 16 oz. mini marshmallows
• 3-6 Tb. water
• ½ tsp. extract flavoring of choice (optional)
• 2 lbs. powdered sugar
• 2/3 cup Shortening
• (Cornstarch for rolling)

Instructions

1. Place the shortening in a small bowl, you’ll need to dip into throughout the entire process.
2. Grease a microwave-safe bowl, the electric mixer bowl, the paddle attachment and a spatula with shortening.
3. Pour the marshmallows, 3 Tb. of water and the extract in the microwave-safe bowl.
4. Melt the marshmallows in the microwave in 30 second increments. Stir with the greased spatula in between. Continue until the marshmallows are completely smooth—2-3 minutes.
5. Pour the marshmallows into the greased mixer bowl. Start the mixer on low and slowly add the entire bag of powdered sugar. Mix until the mixer starts to struggle. There will still be plenty of dried clumps in the bowl.
6. Grease a clean work surface and your hands. Dump the mixture out on the surface, clumps and all. Start kneading and re-grease hands as needed.
7. Knead for several minutes until the mixture is clump free. At this point, if it seems to be dry and rips when you pull it, add a little more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the fondant is soft, pliable and can stretch a little ways when you pull on it. *When you add the water, it is going to seem like a mistake for a moment, but re-grease your hands and keep kneading. The water will absorb into the fondant.
8. Now, grease the whole ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Place the wrapped ball in a large zip bag and squeeze out all the air before sealing. Let it sit overnight to improve the texture and elasticity. *You can use it immediately in a “cake emergency” but it’s better to wait.
9. *It’s best color fondant right before using so the color doesn’t fade. Drop a few drops of food coloring on the fondant and knead in.
10. Once it has sat over night, sprinkle a clean work surface, and your hands, with cornstarch. *Some people use more powdered sugar for this, but they risk adding clumps to their perfectly smooth fondant. Cornstarch doesn’t clump.
11. If rolling out for a cake, rub cornstarch on the rolling pin and roll until just over 1/8 inch thick. Make sure to measure the cake and sides accordingly. Drape over a frosted cake and gently smooth any bumps or creases. Carefully cut the excess fondant around the bottom.
12. If using for molding, HAVE FUN! It molds just like play dough.
13. If wrapped well, it will keep at room temperature for a long, long time.

Preparation time: 20 minute(s)

Cooking time: 3 minute(s)

It's a fabulous recipe. Thanks. I needed a big amount for the school, so it was value for money.

But who don´t need fondant and simply like Marshmallows I recommend trying this springy, fluffy, delicious marshmallows. 


Cheers,
 
Erika

Gluten Free Pavlova Bowls with Chocolate

Greetings!
The Cream of the Crop = my favourite one:

It should be a  "Black & White" Chocolate Pavlova, but I fall asleep and meringue was caramelized. So now it is more like Italian Boccone Dolce. 
Boccone Dolce is a northern Italian dessert translated as "Sweet Mouthful". Another version is Slovak Penová torta or Australian Pavlova.


Chocolate Pavlova
Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova. The dessert is believed to have been created to honour the dancer during or after one of her tours to Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s.

/http://www.nouse.co.uk/2011/01/05/in-pictures-swan-lakes-prima-ballerinas-2/

For the meringue base:
    *  10 eggwhites, at room temperature
    *  700 g of caster sugar (Only use caster sugar when making Pavlova as larger-grain sugars will not completely dissolve.)


1. Preheat the oven to 150°C.
2. Using an electric mixer beat the whites of eggs with the sugar (Add the sugar in, one tablespoon at a time.) until hard peaks form  in the top of a double boiler over hot water. It's best to start whipping egg whites on a lower speed, increasing incrementally as you get to the aspired consistency. Add vinegar and vanilla, and continue beating for 50 more minutes, or until of thick and glossy in consistency = until they hold firm peaks.
     You can add the cornflour and vinegar and whisk until just combined. I didn´t use it.
     It is said that it is important when making any meringue that the egg whites reach maximum volume, so make sure your mixing bowl and whisk are clean and free of grease.
3. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil/ baking paper / greaseproof paper.
4. Trace a circle in the middle of the foil or many small like me.
5. Using a rubber spatula, spread the meringue mixture onto the foil. Smooth the Pavlova with a spatula. With the back of a spoon, create an indentation in the middle of the mound for holding the filling once meringue is baked.
6. Mound the mixture around the outer edges so they’re slightly thicker than the center, creating a shallow bowl. Note that the mixture will swell during baking. It will have tripled in volume and stands up.
7. Place the baking sheet in the oven.
8. Reduce the oven temperature to 60°C by using fan to force air movement.
9. Dry the meringue in the oven for 2-3 hours.
10. When the meringues are done, turn off the oven and crack the door. Leave the meringue in the turned-off oven until completely  cool. This should prevent the meringues from cracking. You might think they are still too spongy, but they will become crisper as they cool. It is said leave the meringues in the oven to finish drying several hours, or even overnight. I did it, because I was asleep. And it was much more better.
11. You should keep it in a tightly sealed container = trick is keeping them dry once baked. Humid weather will soften it to a gooey mess = don´t bake when is raining outside because you really need dry air.

Chocolate cream:
You can buy crème fraîche, but I can´t. So I used:
3 yolks
250 g of confectioner´s sugar
1 Tablespoon of Cocoa Powder
1  vanilla sugar
100 ml of milk
40 g finely grated dark chocolate (preferably 70 percent cacao)
500 g of butter
1 tsp red wine vinegar for bitter - sweet effect


1. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot water.
2. Add yolks, confectioners' sugar, vanilla sugar,  cocoa powder and milk. Cooking  in the top of a double boiler over hot water. Using an electric mixer, whip the cream until it holds soft peaks.
3. Cool the chocolate slightly.
4. Then fold the chocolate into the butter.


For Slovak version - Penová torta - you will need 3 big meringues, then to serve put 1 meringue on a dessert plate, flat side down. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the filling over meringue. Top with another meringue, flat side down; press gently until filling spreads to edges. Repeat with remaining meringues and filling, making 6 stacks. Cover and chill remaining whipped cream mixture. When the cake is assembled, refrigerate for at least an hour (preferably more) before attempting to slice into wedges. You should keep it in a tightly sealed container.

Mum ´s version:

If you made small bowls mound the cream in the center of the meringue. Smooth chocolate cream with a spatula or use a piping bag . I used it, because it is easier.  Spred chocolate cream on every white meringue base and built on itself. Decorate the top floor with the meringues. Serve immediately.

/http://buyprint.topfotogallery.co.uk/gallery/BalletRusses/default.html/

I made Pavlova Bowls inspirated there. For the first time it is better to bake small bowls. If something is wrong, it would be a smaller damage.




Cheers,
Erika