It is no coincidence that marshmallows are considered one of the most useful desserts. An airy delicacy prepared on the basis of natural fruit or berry puree contains a lot of vitamins and minerals. Agar-agar in the composition of marshmallows helps to eliminate toxins from the body, destroy harmful microorganisms and bacteria, improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and lower cholesterol. In our article we will tell you how to cook blackcurrant marshmallows. This summer pectin berry contains no less than apples. And that means that the marshmallows will turn out to be completely natural, tender, airy, extremely tasty. Try to cook it yourself.
Secrets of delicious homemade blackcurrant marshmallows
In the cooking process, you must adhere to the following recommendations:
- To whip the marshmallow, you need a stationary mixer with a capacity of at least 1000 watts. Otherwise, marshmallows will not work.
- Any deviation from the cooking technology (poorly whipped mass, undercooked syrup) is fraught with the fact that the marshmallow does not stabilize even after 24 hours. Even if a characteristic crust forms on the surface of the product, then inside it will have a cream consistency.
- When adding sugar syrup to the marshmallow, it is important to ensure that it does not spatter. To do this, you need to pour it in a thin stream along the wall of the dishes, and even better between the whisk and the side of the bowl.
The tips presented will help to prepare a delicious marshmallow on the first try.
List of ingredients
To prepare a deliciously delicious blackcurrant marshmallow, you will need the following products on the list:
- blackcurrant - 700 g;
- sugar - 600 g;
- agar-agar - 8 g;
- egg (protein) - 1 pc.;
- water - 150 ml;
- icing sugar - 80 g;
- corn starch - 40 g.
Berries can be taken not only fresh, but also frozen. In the process of preparing the dessert are used: stationary mixer, a special thermometer to measure the boiling temperature of the syrup, a pastry bag with a nozzle in the form of a closed star, a sieve for grinding blackcurrant, stewpan. From the amount of ingredients indicated in the recipe, 44 halves of marshmallows are obtained.
Step 1. Berry puree
The amount of blackcurrant specified in the recipe is designed to prepare 250 g of sufficient thick mashed potatoes. That's what you need for homemade marshmallows. Prescription blackcurrant may need a little less or more, in the range of 600-800 g.
The process of making berry puree consists of the following steps:
- Wash blackcurrants, sort and dry on a towel. Fold the berries in a blender and chop them. Grind the resulting mashed potatoes through a sieve.
- Transfer homogeneous berry mass to a stewpan. Put it on the stove, bring to a boil. Cook the mass over low heat with constant stirring until the mashed potatoes become viscous. It takes about 10 minutes.
- Without removing the stewpan from the heat, add 200 g of sugar in the puree (from the total amount indicated in the recipe). Stir it until completely dissolved.
- Remove the stewpan from the heat. Cool the berry puree to room temperature.
- Transfer the cooled mass to the bowl of the stationary mixer.
Step 2. Sugar syrup with agar agar
At home, blackcurrant marshmallows are prepared on the basis of agar-agar. Since this berry contains enough pectin, no additional thickeners are required. The main thing is the observance of the cooking recipe.
Following the berry puree, sugar syrup is brewed:
- Pour 150 ml of water into the stewpan and pour aga-agar. Bring the liquid to a boil and boil for exactly a minute, not forgetting to stir constantly. Then add the remaining sugar (400 g).
- Bring the contents of the stewpan to a boil again. Stir until sugar dissolves.
- Once the sugar syrup has boiled again, it is no longer necessary to mix. At this point, the culinary thermometer should be lowered into the stewpan.
- Cook sugar syrup over medium heat to a temperature of 110 ° C. If the technology of its preparation has not been violated, the syrup will turn out to be transparent, homogeneous, flowing.
As soon as the contents of the stewpan boil, you can already proceed to the next step. By this time, the berry puree should already be in the mixer bowl.
Step 3. Preparation of the marshmallow
This step should be started as soon as sugar is added to the stewpan to the dissolved agar-agar. This is one of the most crucial moments in the process of making blackcurrant marshmallows. At home, to beat a berry puree with syrup, you need a high-power mixer. If the mass is not well beaten, marshmallows will not work.
In detail, this step can be represented as follows:
- Prepare egg white by separating it from the yolk. Add it to the cooled berry puree, previously transferred from the stew-pan to the mixer bowl.
- As soon as the syrup boils, begin the process of whipping the berry mass with protein, starting with small revolutions and gradually increasing them. As the mixer operates, mashed potatoes will become light and lush.
- Without turning off the mixer, gently pour a hot trickle of sugar and agar agar into a thin stream.
- Continue whisking the marshmallow for another 7-10 minutes. It should increase markedly in volume. By consistency, the marshmallow is airy, but not porous, but dense. It should fall heavily from the corolla.
Step 4. Forming products
As soon as the marshmallow is ready, you must immediately proceed to the next stage of preparation:
- To prepare a flat horizontal surface, covering it with parchment or silicone rug. A baking sheet or large cutting board is suitable for this purpose.
- Transfer the dense mass from the mixer bowl to a pre-prepared confectionery bag with a suitable nozzle.
- Put the halves of marshmallows out of the bag.
- Leave the marshmallows to dry at room temperature for at least 18, and preferably 24 hours.
Step 5. Storage of blackcurrant marshmallows
If the cooking technology has been fully matured, a dense marshmallow can thicken in 10 hours. How to check it? You need to lightly press your finger on the marshmallows. It should become resilient, keep its shape well. This means that blackcurrant marshmallows on agar are ready.
At the end, the halves need to be paired together and tossed in a mixture of powdered sugar and corn starch. Such marshmallows are stored in cardboard boxes at room temperature. But before that, immediately after crumbling in powder and starch, it is still a little recommended to dry it for 3-4 hours, spreading it on a table in one layer.
Homemade marshmallows can be prepared not only from blackcurrant, but also from cranberries, lingonberries, strawberries, raspberries and even cherries. If the berries do not have enough natural pectin, at the stage of boiling the mashed potatoes, you can add a teaspoon of the powder to the stewpan by mixing it with a tablespoon of sugar. Other ingredients are used in the same amount.