Our 4th of July travels took us to the Wisconsin Northwoods, where I wanted to be able to eat corn-free S'Mores around the campfire. Since all three of the typical elements of a S'More (Honey Maid graham crackers, Jet Puff marshmallows, and Hershey's milk chocolate) all contain one corn derivative or another, I knew I had to get creative. The bonus outcome was that my substitutes were either ultra gourmet or homemade and created the most delicious ooey-gooey creation you could ever imagine. Not "as good as the original," but much better!
I got the recipe for both the graham crackers and the marshmallows from one of my latest cookbook purchases, The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila. The graham crackers (pictured above) include both whole wheat flour and rye flour, in addition to all purpose flour, resulting in a heartier cracker than the store bought version. She also dusts them lightly with cinnamon sugar, which I think is really necessary because they are otherwise a bit light on the sweetness.
Chernila's marshmallow recipe is a miracle to behold. The alchemy of the whole transformation in the mixer bowl is simply amazing. I've never been very excited about traditional marshmallows. I'll eat them once or twice a year when toasted over a campfire, but that is pretty much it. These are a totally different story. Flavorful, luscious, smooth, and pillowy... yum! I also elected to toss them in toasted coconut so they wouldn't stick together in the transport to Wisconsin and it was a delightful addition both for eating them alone and in the S'More. Instead of corn syrup, her recipe uses the British import Lyle's Golden Syrup, so it is totally safe for me to eat without any modification.
Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the marshmallows and it was pitch dark outside when we actually consumed the assembled S'Mores so no photo of that either. I do, however, have a gorgeous photo of the view of the sun rising over Two Sister's Lake in northern Wisconsin. This was taken from the dock at my parents' lake house on our last morning there.
2 comments:
I love homemade graham crackers and marshmallows! They are so much better than their store-bought cousins. I don't have one in front of me, but have you checked the Ritter Sport milk chocolate for corn derivatives? It's a German product and I know they don't use corn syrup, but I also know that you have more to look out for in terms of corn based ingredients. Worth checking into, maybe. We buy ours at Target (of course), but I think I've seen them at Trader Joe's at the kiosks in front of the check outs too.
I love that your parents' lake is called Two Sisters!
Sorry - didn't see this comment earlier. I have looked at the Ritter bars and there is something questionable about them. I can't remember what, perhaps "vanilla"? Most typical vanilla extracts are made with corn-based alcohol so I stay away from stuff with it listed. At home I make my own vanilla extract from potato vodka. It is delicious!
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