Home › Christmas Dinners › Pineapple Marshmallows
Pineapple Marshmallows
2 cups sugar 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup honey 18 marshmallows 2 egg whites, beaten stiff 1 cup chopped candied pineapple Heat the sugar, water and honey on a slow fire. Then boil rapidly until it threads. Add the marshmallows, cut in pieces and beaten whites of eggs. Beat until mixture is creamy, then add the candied pineapple. When quite firm. Pour into an oiled pan and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
This is a divinity-style candy: a hot honey syrup beaten into egg whites, with marshmallows added as a stabiliser. Success depends almost entirely on how far the syrup is cooked and on the weather.
- The hinge: syrup temperature"Boil rapidly until it threads" is the old test for roughly 230-235F, which is likely to give a candy that stays soft. For a divinity that holds a cut edge, cook the syrup to about 250-255F (the top of firm ball, edging into hard ball) on a thermometer. Honey browns and scorches readily, so keep the heat moderate once it passes 240F.
- Marshmallows have changedMarshmallows -- Eighteen standard bagged marshmallows today come to roughly 4 1/2 oz, or about 2 1/2 to 3 cups; period marshmallow sizes varied, so weigh rather than count. Modern marshmallows melt quickly into a hot mixture; cut them small and add them off the heat so they soften rather than liquefy entirely.
- BeatingThis is not a hand-whisk job. Beat the whites stiff in a stand mixer, then pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl in a thin stream with the machine running, and keep beating 6-10 minutes until the mass loses its gloss and holds a ribbon from the beater.
- Candied pineappleFold it in by hand at the very end, once the mixture has thickened. Candied pineapple is sticky enough to clump; toss the chopped pieces in a little powdered sugar first so they distribute evenly.
- Pan and finishingOil an 8-inch square pan lightly, or line it with parchment. Spread quickly, dust the top with powdered sugar, and let it stand uncovered at room temperature 4-6 hours before cutting into squares with a lightly oiled knife.
- Humid weatherDivinity will not set on a damp day. Sugar candies of this type draw moisture from the air and stay tacky; make it when the kitchen is dry, and store the cut pieces in a tin between layers of waxed paper rather than in the refrigerator.
- Raw whitesThe hot syrup cooks the whites only partially. If serving to anyone very young, elderly, pregnant or immune-compromised, use pasteurised egg whites, which take longer to whip and may give slightly less volume.
- YieldAbout 1 1/2 lb of candy, or 36 small squares from an 8-inch pan.