Heaven-Sent
March 10, 2008 at 12:00 am | In Food, Reviews | 33 CommentsMove over Sweet and Sara, there’s a new vegan marshmallow in town! And just who would have the smarts, skills, and creativity to make this elusive confection? You! Well, it’s thanks to the innovative folks over at Angel Food and their revolutionary marshmallow kits, but you’re the one who’s actually cooking up these sweet treats, so you can take at least some credit here, right?
Based in New Zealand, they’ve been busily cranking out cruelty-free marshmallows for lucky locals, but when trying to ship them abroad, it seems that those fragile mallows go south quickly. In order to share their creations with vegans abroad, they’ve developed an ingenious way to ensure freshness, no matter how far away; By sending the basic ingredients in two packets for the recipient to put together for themselves. Supply your own sugar, syrup, and starch, and you’ve got yourself a highly economical and crafty indulgence, much more fun than picking up a pack at the store and less pricey (all things considered) than the current alternatives.
Whipping up a steady foam in no time, the most difficult part of the whole endeavor is waiting. Waiting for to achieve soft peaks, waiting for the syrup to boil, waiting for the syrup to cool down, and then waiting for the marshmallows to set. The same could be said for any marshmallow recipe, so patience is perhaps the most important ingredient in this process.
After letting them set up over night, I cut my pristine white slab into small cubes, some of them more ragged than others due to the incredibly soft nature of the marshmallow, but all of them more than edible. In fact, the ugly ones were first to go- I was just cleaning up, after all.
Surprisingly soft, they really were cloud-like, dissolving into an ephemeral sweet whisper onto my tongue with hints of vanilla. Not even the least bit chewy as I expect from marshmallows, they showed no resistance when faced with the most gentle of bites. Simply melting away as if they never existed in the first place, it was easy to keep on popping the pale squares into my mouth one after another, proving them to be dangerously addictive indeed. If it says anything about the marshmallows (or perhaps my sweet tooth) I’m certain I was responsible for at least half of that batch going missing after a mere 24 hours.
The good news is that they get even better with age- Those that I could leave be for a bit longer began to form a pleasant crust around the outside, giving them more texture and substance than those newborn mallows. The bad news is that hardly any of them lived long enough to reach that stage. I would highly recommend hiding the entire pan someplace for at least a day or two before digging in, but trust me, this is much easier said than done.
Being so light and fluffy, I really could imagine these marshmallows as treat that angels might munch on… But now, a little bite of heaven is much more attainable than ever before.
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I found myself plowing through them as well. I put some in the refrigerator & they got a bit denser & were lovely!
Comment by melisser — March 10, 2008 #
Ooh, they are so lovely! You lucky girl!
Comment by vegyogini — March 10, 2008 #
Mmmm those look delicious. Now I’m just waiting for you to come up with a perfect vegan marshmallow recipe! :) I haven’t seen any vegan marshmallows around where I live.
Comment by Ashley — March 10, 2008 #
I worked in a vegan shop and we got to be the guinea pigs for these marshmallows, yummmm!
Comment by Poppy — March 10, 2008 #
Why should vegans get to eat marshmallows?
Comment by porterhouse — March 10, 2008 #
Finally! I appreciate your dedication and commitment! They are just beautiful!!
Comment by Tartelette — March 10, 2008 #
Ooh, now I want marshmallows! You have done a great job with those of yours, even if they might be gone already. :)
Comment by Josefin — March 10, 2008 #
Yummy! I love marshmallows but only homemade. I can’t wait to see the recipe. :)
Comment by Gigi — March 10, 2008 #
OMG, those pics look soooo yummy.
Comment by Josh's Auntie — March 10, 2008 #
Your pictures are so gorgeous. How do you do the lighting?
Comment by Amara — March 10, 2008 #
I saw this and quickly scrolled down looking for the recipe, thinking “what’s the gelatine substitute??” I was gutted to see it was from a packet because living in New Zealand it’d never be available here… I should really have started reading at the top first! Very exciting! Can’t wait to get my hands on some.
Comment by Marama — March 10, 2008 #
These look wonderful!!! I love how thick the foam got.
Comment by veron — March 10, 2008 #
Wow, Hannah, thanks for the rave review! I’m so pleased you like them.
The photos are great – especially the glamour shot of the foam on the whisk – it looks like something out of a 1930s movie somehow!
Thanks again,
Alice
Comment by Angel Food Alice — March 10, 2008 #
I love how you managed to capture their delicate texture in a photo. the lighting in the first picture is beautiful.
Comment by Anke — March 10, 2008 #
Oh they look so perfect!! I’m trying to get a hold of the marshmallow kits to have fun with too…. I want to use mine with some chocolate fondue….
Comment by Vegan_noodle — March 10, 2008 #
Love the photo of the mixer whisking the mixture.
Comment by Oiyi — March 10, 2008 #
they just look *so* fabulous! i haven’t had marshmallow for such a long time… i’d love to have some!
Comment by stonielove — March 10, 2008 #
Oh, that’s a sexy marshmallow. And the whip’s pretty freaking gorgeous. Do you think these would toast if they got stale enough? Or is that wistful thinking?
Also – any luck with your Brownie Points marshmallows lately? :)
Comment by Veronica — March 10, 2008 #
Yeah, the Angel Food marshmallows are totally delicious (I live in New Zealand so I get to have them fresh from my local health food store). I didn’t know they made a marshmallow making kit. That’s really cool! They also make the most delicious vegan coconut fudge so if you ever get the chance to try it I totally recommend it.
Comment by Vaala — March 10, 2008 #
Those do look heavenly!!!
Comment by ruby red vegan — March 10, 2008 #
cool!!!!!!!
Comment by Lori- pleasantly plump vegan — March 11, 2008 #
this looka absolutely gorgeous, must taste like made in heaven!
Comment by Big Boys Oven — March 11, 2008 #
They look sooo yummy!!! love your pix!!!!
Comment by Stephanie — March 11, 2008 #
light, fluffy, homemade VEGAN marshmallows – a heaven-sent treat, indeed!
Comment by VeggieGirl — March 11, 2008 #
Oh, dear. I’m practically drooling.
Comment by Cody — March 11, 2008 #
Holy crap, those look amazing!
Hey, how do I subscribe to your feed? I don’t see an RSS feed anywhere. Also, you’re on my blogroll.
Comment by Billy — March 11, 2008 #
they sound delish! and they look like vanilla speckled ice cream squares lol.
must go try some myself ^_~
Hugs
Comment by Kristalia — March 12, 2008 #
Hey are friends allowed free samples? :-) Yum they look great. I went to buy some at Garnet Station but had no money in my “walk shorts” . Will take some for treats next time I am out and about!
Comment by Susie — March 13, 2008 #
Pete’s Gourmet has good vegan marshmallows too and they make really good microwave smores but i’m not sure about real ones… some good dark chocolate meijers organic graham crackers and some of those mmmmmm good… yours also look delectable i’ll have to look into that!
Comment by Asmith — March 14, 2008 #
These or some other vegan marshmallows could TOTALLY be the base for a vegan ile flottante (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floating_island_%28dessert%29 or alternatively http://flickr.com/photos/20077274@N00/330110015/ for a NON VEGAN visual of the traditional dessert). just sayin’ it’s a totally rad opportunity!
Comment by Laura — March 15, 2008 #
do you think; if left to cure a bit; they would be campfire-roastable?
Comment by kat — March 15, 2008 #
Hmmm. I know that marshmallows were originally made with mallow root extract or powder in order to give them structure, rather than egg. Do you know if that version was vegan?
Comment by Tanya — April 7, 2008 #
THANK YOU!!! I have been searching for a way to make fondant in vegan form and these marshmallows would make the perfect substitute for homemade, vegan fondant! Thanks again!
Comment by Ritz — April 24, 2008 #