sprinklefingers

oh, s’mores.

i love them. i love them a lot, very much, intensely.
but i don’t, don’t, don’t like smelling like a campfire. at all.
i also live in a very rainy land with short summers - which means outdoor s’more making is somewhat fleeting.

anti-campfire stance + short summers = (my invention) kitchen s’mores!

okay, okay. i’m not 100% sure i invented kitchen s’mores, but i’m the only person i know who makes s’mores in her kitchen even when it’s snowing outside…which most likely means i just need to expand my circle and i’ll find someone out there just like me. kismet!

the art of the kitchen s’more hinges more or less on a blow torch. no big deal. a tool that shoots fire. inside the house. it’s safe. really.

i have a smallish torch. the kind used for creme brulee. you attach a can of gas to it and it makes fire. very easy. and really, not at all scary (at least once you’ve read the instruction manual.)

in addition to the torch, i use metal skewers for my kitchen s’mores.
and, really, the torch & the skewers are the only special tools needed.

now, let’s talk about s’more components:
first we have the graham crackers. i’ve already done a post on these. if you haven’t made them yet, now’s your chance. they elevate kitchen s’mores to an entirely new level.

next we have the chocolate. smallish pieces of your favorite chocolate bar will work just fine. but i will admit to you that i usually make my own hot fudge and use that as the chocolate component of my s’mores. and, no, i’m not yet ready to part with the recipe. so you’re stuck with chocolate. but, really, good chocolate will work just fine for you. honest!

finally. we have the marshmallows. below i’m sharing with you the recipe i’ve had the best luck with - marshmallow making can be tricky, but this one eliminates a lot of the tricky bits…it’s perfect for a first timer. homemade marshmallows are the craziest thing to make and one of the most delicious things to eat. if you’ve never had a homemade one, prepare yourself. you’ll never go back to jetpuffed again.

using a torch to melt/char a marshmallow is not unlike using a campfire to do so - except you have to hold the torch in one hand and the skewered marshmallow in the other. it takes only a few seconds to reach nicely charred - and once the marshmallow is there, you simply set down the torch, slide the marshmallow onto the chocolate-topped graham cracker and eat. easy. and a very impressive way to end a dinner party, if i do say so myself.

marshmallows

• 3 1/4-oz. envelopes unflavored gelatin
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 2 vanilla beans, split, insides scraped out and pods reserved
• 1/2 t kosher salt
• 1 cup plus a bit more confectioners’ sugar

1. pour 3/4 cup cold water into the bowl of your stand mixer (fitted with whisk attachment.) sprinkle gelatin over the water.
2. boil sugar, corn syrup, vanilla bean insides & pods, salt and 3/4 cup of water in a saucepan over medium heat without stirring until it reaches 235 degrees. (a candy thermometer will be helpful here.)
3. once the sugar mixture has reached 235 degrees, turn the mixer on low and slowly add the hot sugar mixture to the gelatin in a slow, steady stream.
4. carefully increase speed of mixer to high and beat until the mixture has thickened and cooled, about 5-7 minutes. you want the mixture to be thick and white.
5. rub a 9x13” pan with vegetable oil and then sift confectioners’ sugar over to coat. [note: it’s important to use enough sugar here, because the sugar will be what allows the marshmallows to release from the pan.] pour in marshmallow mixture. sift another bit of confectioners’ sugar over top and let sit for 4 hours. or until completely set.
6. after 4 hours, run a sharp knife around the edges of the marshmallows. then either cut them in the pan OR loosen an edge or two and attempt to ‘peel’ the entire mass out of the pan and plop it on a cutting board THEN cut into smaller squares. as you cut, roll each marshmallow in a bowl of sifted confectioners’ sugar, then shake in a strainer to remove excess.

marshmallows will keep for 2 weeks if you wrap them up air tight.

s’more variations

• as you finish each s’more, sprinkle a bit of grey sea salt on top before eating.

• as soon as you take a marshmallow off the skewer, roll it in a bowl of toasted coconut. THEN place it on top of the chocolate and the graham cracker. and, if you want to go completely crazy, sprinkle it with a bit of grey sea salt.

• instead of using marshmallows, dip a 2” slice of banana in sugar to completely coat. skewer banana and torch until nicely caramelized. put a piece of chocolate and a dollop of peanut butter on a graham cracker and top with caramelized banana. HELL YES.

• bake a few strips of bacon in the oven at 425 until it reaches desired crispiness. put a piece of chocolate on a graham cracker, top with charred marshmallow and top THAT with a 1” piece of bacon.

you’re welcome.

[thanks, miss d, for this photographic evidence of our last s’more night.]