kattitudes

I love making fudge for Christmas gifts (and I love watching my friends enjoy it), but I just hate using store bought Marshmallow Fluff. You know the stuff. In the jar. Fluff. It is so famous.

It is just the idea. Every time I look at it, I think to myself “melted plastic”. It just makes the obsessive in me a little queasy.

So knowing that I can now make my own marshmallows quite successfully, I wondered why on earth did I have to rely on the jar of melted plastic to make that wonderful Christmas fudge?

And thusly, homemade marshmallow creme began. This works just like Fluff in a jar. And all the ingredients can be found in your own cupboards, as opposed to a laboratory. It gives me a modicum of comfort about passing along all the fudge now.

Ingredients:

2 cups sifted confections sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 egg whites
2 cups light corn syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In large bowl, combine egg whites, syrup and salt. Beat for 10 minutes until thick. At low speed, add confectioners sugar. Add vanilla extract and beat until blended. Makes two quarts.

Once you taste homemade marshmallows, you will wonder why you ever allowed that store bought filth to pass your lips. The light airy wonder that is what marshmallows are really supposed to taste like is remarkable. I have never been a marshmallow fanatic, enjoying them in my time, but perfectly willing to pass them by.

Now, having had to give up chocolate (migraine sufferer), the thought of missing out on this particular delight this Christmas actually is depressing. This combination makes an incredible homemade gift: your own cocoa mix and homemade marshmallows. What a knockout flavor set.

Ingredients:

2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
cornstarch
confectioners sugar

Mix granulated sugar with 3/4 cup water. Simmer to soft ball stage (small amount dropped in cold water forms soft ball [240 degrees F]).

Remove from heat. Soften gelatin in the 1/2 cup cold water. Place on a large platter. Pour hot syrup over softened gelatin. Stir until dissolved. Let stand until partially cooled.

Whip until thick and white and mixture will nearly hold its shape (approximately 8 minutes with an electric beater). Add vanilla extract and salt. Pour into straight sided pans lined with equal parts cornstarch and confectioners sugar, mixed together. Let stand in cool place until firm but not refrigerator as that will cause it to set up wrong.

Now it is time to shape the marshmallows. You can either cut them directly into squares using a pair of scissors, or if you are feeling like having some fun, you can use cookie cutters to create all kinds of fun and wacky shapes. Once you are done cutting the marshmallows, dust the finished product with confectioners sugar.

You can also dip part of your marshmallow in chocolate, making a fantastic taste delight, as these ones have been dipped. You must be cautious in the process of dipping, however, not to heat the chocolate too much, as it will melt your marshmallow as it is being dipped. You must let the chocolate cool almost to the point of re solidification again before dipping your marshmallow. Experimentation will lead you to the correct point.

Ingredients:

* 1-1/2 cups sugar
* 2/3 cup triple-strength rosewater
* 1 ounce plain gelatin powder
* 3/4 cup icing sugar
* 1/2 cup cornstarch

Put the sugar and rosewater in a deep, heavy pan. Heat gently, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is dissolved, then bring to the boil. Raise the temperature to 240 degree F, testing with a candy thermometer, and maintain for three minutes.

Meanwhile, dissolve the gelatin in 3-1/2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan, then bring to the boil. Add two drops of red food coloring to the sugar. Very carefully and slowly, add the boiling gelatin solution to the boiling sugar and incorporate using a balloon whisk. Boil for two minutes and set aside to cool below 200 degrees F.

Lightly butter a 6 inch square shallow pan. Pour the mixture in the pan and leave for a day in a cool place to set. Mix together the icing sugar and cornstarch and spread on the sheet of waxed paper. Dip the base of the pan of Turkish Delight in hot water for a few seconds, then turn out onto the sugar mixture. Spoon the sugar over the block. Cut the block into squares using a sharp knife coated in the sugar. Add more sugar while cutting to prevent sticking. Coat each cube well with sugar. Store for two days in a cool place to give a crisp texture to the coating.

Optional: add 1/3 cup of coarsely chopped pistachio nuts before cooling down the mixture.

By this point, most everyone knows what gyoza are (little dumplings or potstickers), but if you are not familiar with them, they are in the freezer section of the grocery store. Personally, we love the little blessings. Steamed please, no sauce to interrupt their complex tastiness. And when we are under the weather as we are now, this soup hits the spot just right. Enough broth to help, although we always add extra ginger when we are sick to help with the clogged bronchial passages and digestive issues. Plus the heat from the chilies (not too much though) seems to do some good. All in all, it is a great soup to have in your repertoire.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive or peanut oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger, about 1 inch
16 ounces package frozen oriental vegetables
8 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons roasted sesame chili oil
16 ounces package of frozen potstickers, (shrimp, chicken or vegetable)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
2 serrano or Thai chilies, thinly sliced (optional garnish)

Heat large soup pot over medium heat until hot. Add olive or peanut oil and swirl to coat bottom, then add garlic and ginger. Stir until very fragrant and starting to soften, no more than 2 minutes. Then add frozen vegetables, stirring occasionally until almost defrosted, 3 minutes. Add stock or broth and turn heat to high.

Once soup begins to boil, add the soy sauce, rice vinegar and roasted sesame chili oil. Lower heat to medium and then carefully slide potstickers off large cooking spoon into the soup a couple at a time. Simmer on medium for 4 to 5 minutes until potstickers are done. Remove soup from heat immediately, stir in sliced green onions and serve. Garnish each serving with hot peppers as desired, serving soy sauce on the side to taste.

Ingredients:

* 4 oz scented rose petals
* 2 tablespoons rosewater
* 3 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 pound 5x powdered sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 egg whites

Wash the rose petals and boil in one quart of water, then simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the water, saving the mushy remains of petals.

Add the sugar to the water and heat until dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer for three minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, rosewater and soggy petals. Leave until cool, then freeze for 1 to 2 hours until mushy.

Whisk the egg whites and salt. Beat the frozen mixture until smooth and fold in the eggs. Freeze for another 3 hours.

Remove the sorbet from the freezer 20 minutes before serving (store in refrigerator unless you are looking for mushy rose soup! We never bother with this step as we prefer our sorbet hard as the proverbial rock).