Still on a baking high, I took inspiration from a marshmallow slice I saw in a cookbook and decided to turn s’mores into a slice. It’s not the first time I’ve turned s’mores into something different, I made these babies for the Food Blogger Mad Hatter’s Picnic last year. For those who have no have idea what s’mores are, they are a typical camping treat in America and Canada which comprise of a toasted marshmallow and a piece of chocolate sandwiched between 2 graham crackers. The idea is that the heat of the toasted marshmallow that has been held above a camp fire would melt the chocolate as you sandwich with the graham crackers.
I love the idea of recreating desserts in a different form, like apple crumble ice cream, strawberry shortcake macarons, baklava ice cream, caramel slice tart, lemon meringue cupcake etc So I was really excited about this idea of mine and couldn’t wait to try it out. These were to be made for the Cancer Council Biggest Morning Tea that I hosted for my department at uni and they were a hit by all.
You could create a bake-free version of this slice by using crushed up biscuits and melted butter to form the base but I remembered the Masterchef masterclass episode where Donna Hay makes her baked cheesecake and Billy tries it and comments that the base is “short, creamy and buttery” so I thought I had to use the base recipe in this slice. I was trying to create a spiky effect in the marshmallow but because I didn’t have enough gelatin to start with the marshmallow was a little too soft/runny to work with.
Initially I thought since the layers are uneven there would an imbalance of sweetness due to the marshmallow and biscuit layer, but the chocolate layer helped tone down the sweetness. So I’d imagine using dark chocolate for the ganache would cut the sweetness down further. Every component worked well with each other, the marshmallow was pillowy soft (almost like the texture of toasted marshmallows) and the biscuit layer was instead buttery and crumbly. Delish!
After trying these slices, most of my colleagues said that I should try out for Masterchef… No thank you! It’s not for me… I’d so suck at being inventive and I think I’d be one of those emotional wrecks as I can be hopeless at dealing with stress sometimes. Is anyone else is the same boat? Have friends/family/colleagues told you to try out for Masterchef? And would you?
Recipe
Recipe from Donna Hay and Gourmet, December 1998 (for the biscuit base and marshmallow components)
Makes 24 3x5cm (~1×2 inch) slices
Biscuit base
1/2 cup (55g) almond meal
1 cup (150g) plain flour
1/3 cup (80g) caster sugar
135g butter, cubed
Simple chocolate ganache
200g milk chocolate (feel free to use dark chocolate)
1/2 cup (125mL) thickened cream
Vanilla bean marshmallow
1 tbsp and 1 tsp powdered gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup (90g) light corn syrup (essentially liquid glucose)
1/8 tsp salt
1 large egg white
1/2 vanilla bean pod, scraped
For the biscuit base
- Preheat oven to 160C (320F) and line a lightly greased 20cm (8 inch) squared tin with baking paper.
- Place the almond meal, flour, sugar and butter in a bowl. Rub the mixture with your fingertips until a rough crumbs forms.
- Pour mixture evenly into the prepared tin.
- Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture into the base and level.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until light golden. Set aside.
For the chocolate ganache
- Chop up chocolate finely and add to a metal bowl.
- Heat the chocolate and cream over a saucepan of boiling water until the chocolate has melted. Set aside.
For the vanilla bean marshmallow (to be made ~2 hours after the chocolate ganache)
- Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup water in mixing bowl of stand mixer and let it stand.
- Combine 1/4 cup water, sugar, corn syrup and salt over low heat in a saucepan, stirring with a wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved.
- Increase heat to medium and boil mixture, without stirring until a candy thermometer registers 115C (240F).
- Remove pan from heat and pour sugar mixture over gelatin mixture, stirring until gelatin is dissolved.
- Mix gelatin mixture on high speed until mixture has nearly tripled in volume.
- Meanwhile, whisk egg whites in a separate bowl to stiff peaks.
- Add vanilla bean to the egg whites and whisk until just combined.
Assembly
- Pour the chocolate ganache over the baked biscuit base.
- Set aside to allow chocolate to firm up.
- Pour marshmallow over the set chocolate layer.
- Set aside for at least two hours or overnight.
- Take the slice out of the tin. Using a hot knife, cut the slices into 24 pieces.
- Toast the marshmallow with a blow torch.
- Serve
oh so it’s a S’more slice! 😀
I don’t know about MC, haven’t checked it out at all. (I know! Life sucks with the PhD, final year).
Ooooh, I love anything with marshmallow. I might skip the base and ganache parts 🙂
Yayyy anything s’more related is awesome! Yeah I’ve had friends say the same thing but I just go pffft never! I’m like you I bake to relax, I can’t cook under stress!
Ha! I’m so tired of people telling me try out for Master Chef or Top Chef or Next Food TV Star or whatever it is. If I want to be publicly humiliated and stressed out on a national/international level, something tells me there are more fun ways to do it.
That said, if someone were to offer me a TV show to host, I don’t think I’d turn it down. Just sayin. 😉
S’more slice, looks totally delicious. BTW I think you are very inventive 🙂
Love s’mores anything! People tell me to audition for MC but I know I could never come up with anything from a Mystery Box, and I don’t really want to be embarrassed on national tv either haha
Pillowy soft marshmallows! I think the vagaries of commercial television mean that MasterChef is not just about cooking but about being an interesting personality, and someone on a JOURNEY. lol.
Despite living in Canada for a year I don’t think I’ve ever had a Smores (tho there is a cafe in Parramatta that does them now). And what I go on Masterchef – not on your Nellie. There’s a lady at work though that I think would do well, but I reckon she’d get fed up with George & Gary in about the 1st week…
Anh: Thanks for the warning (re: sucky final yr PhD life)!
Tina: Nice! Homemade marshmallows are the best! I’ve made them (and blogged about them) before and they are a treat! Feel free to flavour them in any way you want them. I’ve made chocolate, green tea and vanilla bean but I’m sure you can add some fruit puree into them as well 🙂
Steph: Do you think you can turn them into macarons? If so, that’d be so awesome!!! I’m glad that I’m not the only one who feels this way. So much stress!!!
Irvin: Totally agree with you! Even though I haven’t met you in real life, I so can imagine you on a tv show. I’ll be entertaining that’s for sure!
Sara: Thanks but I’d never be able to create something from the Mystery Box or do the Invention Test challenge, especially with the additional stress and time constraints!
Jacq: Totally agree! Not that Billy is embarrassing himself on MC, I think he is doing a great job compared to the other mob.
Helen: lol Journey… YAY for Billy going on a journey! If it wasn’t for him I probably wouldn’t be watching it honestly. This season doesn’t have any stand out contestants besides him
Miss Piggy: I’ve yet to try that place in Parra just for those S’mores. I think it would be perfect for this time of year.
this looks delicious but i think i’d toast the marshmallows a tiny bit longer :O)
Betty: Thanks! I forgot to mention that the gas of my blow torch was running out as I was toasting it :p And I can’t seem to get it refilled even though I have the gas can for it (I think I don’t have the correct nozzle for it)
I’ve got that a lot from Stud and my friends. Im with you – I’m not inventive “on the fly” and I would totally cry every day lol. I think it would open a lot of doors but only if I got far and I dont have enough confidence in my cooking to do it.
Gorgeous interpretation of the american classic Phuoc! MC? Not for me personally. I can’t be that inventive on the go!
Nic: That’s just it, you have to be inventive on the spot like that (with the element of additional stress and pressure) – something I know I can’t do.
Peter: Thanks!
Love it! Though I think I like the original idea of a s’more, havn’t ever tried it yet.
I think when you love cooking so much and are actually good at it everyone thinks you should go on MasterChef – get it all the time at home, at work, friends etc etc. I’m good at what I do, but put me under pressure and I am a completely different person. Oh and I hate being in front of a camera too.
Interesting flavor blend, must be delicious!
Mmmm tasty! Yes, family and friends have told me I should consider MC, but I only think I’d consider it if they come out with a vegetarian version – otherwise I don’t think I’d perform very well! 😛
Angie: I agree, I don’t think there would be nothing more satisfying then sitting around the camp fire, toasting marshmallows and making s’mores.. That’s so true the way you’ve summed it up, others think your good so you must go on!
Bake in Paris: Thank you 🙂
Ladybird: Vegetarian MC would indeed be challenging if that was to occur.
wow thats sooo cool Phuoc!!!
marshmellow on top gahhh.. would you like to deliver some to me.. im having trouble studying 🙁
maybe a slice or two might help *hint*
Dolly: Thanks! Good luck with the studies 🙂
I’m with Irvin, public stress and humiliation doesn’t sound like something you’d voluntarily sign up for. Cooking and baking are supposed to be relaxing. That’s just my opinion. I’m more creative when I’m not under pressure anyhow. Loving these by the way, I’m a huge s’mores fan.
These are such a delicious idea! No campfire needed at all! 😀
I like cooking to relax and I always tells people: I don’t cook under pressure and I don’t cook for people I don’t like! =p
Sylvie: Thanks 🙂 I’m with you! I can’t work under stress or pressure and I find cooking/baking as a form of relaxation.
Lorraine: Hehe yes although I wouldn’t mind sitting around a campfire around this time.
Mademoiselle délicieuse: lol nice..
You’ve totally made me crave these right now!
Wizzythestick: Brilliant! That is my devious plan 😉
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This totally reminds me of the classic movie The Sandlot Kids. Not sure if you’ve watched it but there’s a scene in it where the the funny kid makes a batch of S’mores and goes on to tell the others how its constructed. 🙂
Great to see a Vietnamese baker 😉
My kitchen is so Vietnamese, we have no western utensils such as a mixer, baking trays, teaspoons etc – only chopsticks, woks etc LOL
I’d love to get into baking more, definitely will use some recipes from here.
Thanks for awesome posts and recipes!
Twitter @cindyngo85
Aarthi: Hi! Thanks for popping by my blog and good luck to yours 🙂
Adrian: I’m pretty bad with movies I must admit.. S’more are awesome! I wish I was able to have campfires frequently but for now I’ll just have them in bar form :p
Cindy: Hi! Thanks 🙂 Oh I’m slowly taking over my family’s kitchen by placing my Kitchenaid and coffee machine on the bench and I’ve taken up a cupboard with all my bake ware. I just love baking and find it therapeutic. I hope you feel inspired to bake up a treat soon. Let me know when and if you have 🙂
Oh my goodness that looks awesome. I’ve been thinking about baking graham crackers, but making a s’mores slice is even better. Need to try this out ASAP 🙂
Shaz: Thanks! I hope you do get around to making it 🙂 Let me know how it goes ok?
We are all about s’mores right now! I love the look of this. I want to try this and the s’more muffins I keep seeing about and I’ve even heard of s’more cookies! Fab photos! I am putting this on my “must try” list!
Jo & Sue: Oh S’mores anything would be a treat! I hope you get around to making it one day 🙂