Cherry marshmallow: a recipe from our great-grandmothers

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Few of today's children know what marshmallow is, what it is made of, and how it is made, not even all adults know. It's a shame that such a wonderful dessert is forgotten by posterity, despite its ease of preparation from various berries, such as cherries.

What is marshmallow?

Originally Russian sweetness, a sweet mass of berry or fruit puree, dried to a state of dried fruit, is made mainly only from whipped puree and sugar, although until the 19th century marshmallows were prepared with honey, whipped protein was rarely added to clarify the product, from - why this type of delicacy looked more like a dry marshmallow. Then they began to distinguish this product by the areas where the type of marshmallow was first made:

• Kolomenskaya (from the city of Kolomna) was thinner, more dried and had no protein in its composition. The color of such a marshmallow was from rusty orange to maroon, depending on the fruit from which it was made. It is she who is closer to the real pastille of the Middle Ages.
• Belevskaya (city of Belev): it is this variety that is cooked on whipped proteins, with a lower content of fruit and berry puree, so its color is pale: from fawn to pale cherry. In appearance, such a pastille looks like a biscuit, but to tasteresembles a berry marshmallow.

By the way, before the October Revolution in 1917, the word "pastila" was written and pronounced through "O": fasting. This is the native name of the product, derived from the cooking process: “lay, spread, spread”. The marshmallow was laid in long, wide layers for drying, and then cut and packaged.

Ingredients and recipe

At home, cherry marshmallows are made from fresh berries left over from other kinds of preparations: jams, juices, and so on. Berries can be torn, spoiled pieces cut off - if only without rot and pests. Of course, you can do this from any, even the most beautiful and whole berries, but do not throw it away. For cherry marshmallow, they usually take a 2: 1 ratio - cherry-sugar, but taste preference plays a more role here. Someone likes very sweet, while others prefer natural taste with sourness.

How to make sugar-free cherry marshmallow? It can be replaced with honey, the product will be he althier, the main thing is to choose the right honey: you definitely shouldn’t take buckwheat honey - its smell will overpower the main smell of cherries, and the dessert will not be very tasty. Acacia honey is also not suitable - it is too liquid and does not crystallize well: the marshmallow does not dry out and becomes a sticky toffee. You need to take honey without a pronounced smell, but with a good ability to sugar.

The first thing to do is to remove the stone from the cherry, pour the berries in a saucepan with water so that they are barely covered, andare put on fire. The berry mass should boil over medium heat for 40 minutes, after which the juice is drained and used to make syrups, jellies, compotes and other tasty things, and the boiled cherries are crushed with a blender into a puree, to which sugar or honey is added.

How and how much to cook?

Send the cooked puree back to the stove, boil over low heat until the maximum possible density: the groove drawn with a spoon along the bottom slides slowly, and the whole mass easily lags behind the walls of the pan. It is very important to stir the puree as often as possible in the process of evaporating the liquid, otherwise it will burn and all the work will go to waste.

On a foil-lined baking sheet or any flat dish, pour the still warm cherry puree: the marshmallow is ready to dry. In the old days, our great-great-grandmothers dried it on the stove bench: it was warm and dry there, because something was constantly being cooked in the oven.

How to dry: in the oven or dryer?

Cherry marshmallow should be in such a state that it can be cut into strips and rolled into rolls, while it should not be too sticky to hands, but rather dry to the touch. Home-made lovers face the question: how best and faster to achieve this?

There are three ways in total:

• In the oven: the temperature is set at 50-65 degrees, and the cherry marshmallow is dried to the desired state.
• In the dryer: to dry marshmallow with it, you need to make foil trays to pour cherry puree on them. ATthe average drying process takes from 12 to 16 hours.
• Out in the fresh air: This old-fashioned method can be very convenient and, most importantly, economical. You just need to find a place that is well ventilated by drafts, but without direct sunlight and gas pollution.

The readiness of the marshmallow is determined by touch: it should be dense, but not stone-hard and easily rolled up (remove the foil before that). How can tasteless marshmallows and marmalade from the supermarket compare with fragrant, homemade cherry marshmallows?

How to store dessert?

At home, storage is about keeping the marshmallow dry: this can be achieved by placing the finished product in glass jars, lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar (optional if you do not use sugar at all). Strips of marshmallow twisted into tight rolls are cut into pieces from three to five centimeters and placed in a jar under the lid. You can also store in plastic containers or in the refrigerator in the fruit and vegetable compartment, after wrapping it in foil so that the marshmallow does not absorb foreign odors.