Beer Marshmallows

Beer Marshmallows

From http://www.thekitchn.com/copycat-recipe-chocolatedipped-139899

Chocolate-Dipped Beer Marshmallows with Crushed Pretzel Garnish
makes 18 to 22 marshmallows, depending on how you cut them

For the Bloom:
1 1/2 tablespoons (just under 1/2 ounce) unflavored gelatin
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/3 cup (2.5 ounces) flat dark beer

For the Sugar Syrup:
1/4 cup (2 ounces) flat dark beer
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) corn syrup or sugar cane syrup
3/4 cup (6 ounces) granulated sugar
pinch salt

For Coating and Topping
10-12 ounces milk chocolate
2-3 teaspoons canola oil, optional - for thinning the melted chocolate
1/2 cup stick pretzels

To flatten the beer, open the bottle and let it sit overnight. If you're in a rush, pour it into a bowl and stir the beer with a whisk to release as much of the carbon dioxide as possible.

Spray one standard bread loaf pan (8.5" x 4.5" or close) with nonstick spray or line it with parchment paper and then spray with nonstick coating. If using parchment, tape the flaps to the outside of the pan so the paper stays in place when you spoon in the marshmallow.

For the bloom, sprinkle the gelatin in the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix the vanilla and flattened beer, and pour this over the gelatin. Whisk until no lumps remain. Set the bowl back into your mixer and fit the mixer with a whisk attachment.

For the sugar syrup, combine the flattened beer, corn syrup, sugar, and salt in a 4-quart saucepan or larger. Clip a candy thermometer to the side. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the sugar mixture to a boil. As the syrup heats, it will foam up to nearly fill the pan. Keep an eye on it so it doesn't boil over. When the mixture is between 225° and 230°, let it bubble for another 5 minutes and then remove it from heat. (Ideally, the syrup should reach 240° - 250°, but I couldn't get an accurate temperature reading in the foam. If your syrup starts to edge up toward 250°, take the pan off the heat and proceed with the next step.)

With the mixer on low speed, carefully pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin bloom. Turn the mixer to high once all the syrup has been added and let it whip for 8-10 minutes, until it looks like glossy meringue and is very thick. Pour the marshmallow into the loaf pan and let it cure, uncovered, for 10-12 hours or overnight.

When the marshmallows are cured, rub the top with a little powdered sugar and turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board. Rub the top with more powdered sugar. Cut into 18-22 squares of equal size.

Melt the chocolate either over a double-boiler or in 30-second bursts on HIGH in the microwave, stirring between each burst until the chocolate is melted. If the chocolate seems too thick, whisk in the canola oil one teaspoon at a time until the chocolate is thin enough to coat.

Coat each marshmallow entirely and set them on a piece of wax paper to dry. We use a dinner fork and a chop stick to help turn the marshmallows in the chocolate and slide them onto the wax paper. While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle the tops of the marshmallows with crushed pretzels. The chocolate might have difficulty setting up if the weather is very humid; try putting the marshmallows in the fridge to help things along.

Marshmallows will keep in a covered container for several weeks. In the summer, store in the refrigerator to prevent the chocolate from melting.

Beef and Beer Pie

Serve with garlic mashed potatoes to soak up the sauce from the pie.

Serves about 6

For the filling:

Adapted from Pie by Angela Boggiano

3 ½ tablespoons flour

2 lbs. chunk steak, cut into 1” cubes

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 large onions, chopped

2 carrots, chopped into 1” cubes

2 teaspoons soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons tomato paste

2 cups beer

1 ¼ cups beef broth

2 teaspoons sugar

Garlic salt

Ground black pepper

Place the flour in a large bowl and season with salt and ground black pepper. Add the cubes of meat and toss well in the flour until evenly coated.

Heat the butter and oil in a large pot until the butter has melted. Add the meat and brown quickly all over for just a minute, then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the onions and carrots to the pot and fry gently for about two minutes. Return the meat to the pan and add the soy sauce, tomato paste, beer, beef broth, and sugar. Grind in plenty of black pepper and add a little salt. Stir well and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook very slowly for 2 hours until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened and is glossy. Remove from the heat, place into a 6-cup deep pie dish and leave to cool completely. Refrigerate overnight.

For the crust:

From Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Café (Canada, UK), by Mollie Katzen

1 ½ cups flour

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

Up to 3 tablespoons cold water

Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Cut the butter into slices, add to the processor, and buzz several times, until the mixture is uniform and resembles coarse meal. (If you don't have a food processor, use a pastry cutter or 2 forks instead.)

Continue to process in quick spurts as you add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time. As soon as the dough adheres to itself when pinched, stop adding water and turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Gather it gently into a ball. Roll the dough into circle that has a diameter that is two inches greater than that of the pie dish.

To assemble the pie:

Beef and beer pie filling

Pie crust

Egg yolk

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Place a pie funnel in the center of the pie filling. Cut a hole into the center of the pie dough to make space for the pie funnel.

Place the dough over the pie filling. Crimp the edges decoratively using a fork or your fingers. Brush the egg yolk over the top of the dough.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the crust is crisp and golden.