Coffee mallow
Instructions:
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Older than sweetened condensed milk is another ingredient often used in refrigerated desserts: marshmallows. If Cleopatra would have had graham crackers and squares of chocolate, she could have provided the marshmallows to sandwich her s'mores. Marshmallows are a food as old as the pyramids. The ancient Egyptians were the first to prepare marshmallows, using the root of the mallow plant and sugar, which they believed to have medicinal qualities. The mallow tree was introduced to America and was planted along the coasts of New England and New York, in Michigan and Arkansas. Though the transplantation was specifically for the purpose of utilizing its sticky root, it was so expensive to process the genuine mallow root that the formula for marshmallows changed. It was replaced in 1870 by a gum arabic and egg white combination. Further changes to produce a more tender, less grainy, lighter, better-looking, better-tasting, and better-keeping product evolved. The name remains the same, but today's jet-puffed marshmallows find themselves at the ends of sticks over a campfire or melted into confections or dessert mixtures, rather than in a medicine cabinet.
- 16 marshmallows, quartered, or 2 cups miniature marshmallows;
- 1⁄2 cup hot coffee;
- 1 cup heavy cream;
- 1 teaspoon vanilla.
- Combine the marshmallows and coffee in a metal bowl. Place over hot water and heat until the marshmallows are melted.
- Remove from water and stir until cooled. With electric mixer, beat until fluffy.
- Whip the cream until stiff, and fold into the mixture. Add the vanilla. Pour into dessert glasses and chill 2 to 4 hours, until set.
- MAKES 6 SERVINGS