It has been cold the last few days so we have been building a fire in the evening. Last night my hubby and I were talking about roasting marshmallows which led to a discussion about what is our roasting preferences. We noted that while I like a well done steak and my hubby loves a medium rare it is quite the opposite with marshmallows. I love mine just turned to a golden brown and he likes a good old fashion “Joan of Arc” marshmallow (see how to roast a marshmallow below).

Marshmallows have been around for quite some time in the modern market. I did discover that the use of marshmallow to make a candy dates back to ancient Egypt. I never thought about that before, even though the mass marketing of marshmallows that I buy are commercially packaged under the Kraft brand. You can even find a recipe for making marshmallows online but after reading it I decided it was more hassle than just buying the packaged plumes of white balls. Interestingly, the recipe calls for gelatin which is a animal product so generally they are considered not to be kosher or halal unless it can be proven that the animal was kosher or halal. There is even a vegetarian alternative which may be very good reasons to make your own recipe. I was not sure about marshmallow crème products but I read that general use is egg whites instead. So there was much to learn about the marshmallow and if you are concerned about kosher, halal or you are a vegetation the link for the recipe is below.

Roasting is an art. It includes the actual roasting, the ambiance of a cook campfire and sometimes added goodies to make smores. A good campfire with marshmallows requires a few stories and a few songs. So first the marshmallow are important, then dive in with a song or two.

Campfire Poem

Campfire’s burning, campfire’s burning

Draw nearer, draw nearer

In the gloaming, in the gloaming

Come sing and be merry

~Thanks to Rebecca Maltese Girl Guides

I have done one on a stick or loaded a couple on. How do we like our marshmallow at our house? Like I said, I like mine turned to a lovely golden brown. My hubby? He can’t wait to make a Joan of Arc, which is leaving it on the fire until a flame gently turns it to a crisp on the outside.

Marshmallow recipe: http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/5838

How to roast a marshmallow: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5QvvnETZ7c

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