Fermenting Time!

On the second day of spring, ... da da da da da da...

Three strawberry kvasses

Two orange juices

And a half jar of salty carrots!

Ok, so just ignore the fact that it doesn't fit...

I can't wait to sing On the fifth day of spring, ...da da da da da da....

FIVE TRILLION LACTOBACILLUS BACTERIA!

Four trillion yeasts

Three trillion other microorganisms

Two jars left

And a very very happy tum-my!

Oh, and that's a jar of sauerkraut that gave my babies their starter. It's like their mother (no pun intended).

Marshmallows

I suppose I'm not going to model for the hair show in the June long weekend so I get to go camping again! Yay! So I've compiled my list of things I want to eat while I'm down there (forget that they're all going to make me fat), including marshmallows because that's just a given. We have a fireplace and we all toast marshmallows, so I decided to have a crack at making my own marshmallows because I don't want to eat the crap you get in the shop.

Following Mommypotamous' recipe, I made a half batch of fluffy sticky clouds of goodness. Basically, you mix a honey caramel with dissolved gelatine, beat it until it's fluffy, then let it sit overnight. It's a basic concept but it's not so basic seeing as you have to make a CARAMEL.

First, you dissolve the gelatine with the water. You'll wonder how the hell the hard gel goo is gonna result in something fluffy, but be prepared to be amazed.

Then you put water, flavour (I put vanilla), salt and a beehive of honey into a pot and 'keep on medium high heat until it reaches 240 degrees'. Big problem. a. My stove is ultra strong and it's really hard to tell what's medium and what's high and b. I haven't got a candy thermometer. So I put it on what would've been high heat and let it go. I knew it would take a while so I left for thirty seconds and...

When I came back, it had volcanoed and there was honey caramel all over the stove and everywhere! I turned the heat down but I had to keep turning it up for the caramel to do something.

So after vigorously stirring a pot of bubbling candy (I know, French chefs, sue me for touching my caramel) it eventually reached soft ball stage. I dropped a bit in cold water and it makes a soft little ball in your hand. And once I realised it was done, I think I overcooked it. The second before I took it off, it was fine, but when I stopped mixing it it took on a funny smell.

Regardless, I called James to help pour it into the funny gelatine stuff which would be easy enough for me to do by myself next time. I whipped it up, and that only took five minutes. Then it went into my prelined baking tin with some arrowroot on top. Next time that lining will be done so much better.

Then I had to lick everything clean, which was a lot of marshmallow cream. But I put the semi clean beaters and spatula and stuff in hot water for five minutes and it all dissolved. Urgh. Next time I know I don't have to clean it with my mouth.

And then you just let it sit for four hours. I cut it at four hours and the other half after overnight, and there wasn't too much difference in firmness. And I toasted a bit and it kinda melts. Oh well. I'll try toasting it when it gets older. James liked it, so guess who's making marshmallows more often? :)

Lightning Speed Chocolate Fixes

You know what tastes good with a few tablespoons of the ol' cocoa powder and a drizzle of honey (or maple syrup or some coconut sugar)?

- Coconut oil. Make a thick liquid and pop it in the fridge for ten minutes and you get hard fudgey chocolate square stuff. Or dip frozen fruit into it and you've got yourself a magic shell!
- Avocado. Purée and stir it all up and people call it a mousse but I'd say you could probably use it as a cake icing or something like that. But don't be fooled. I will allow you to eat a large serving of it straight from a bowl.
- Tahini. I try to stop thinking of tahini as 'hummus' and start thinking of it as 'sesame seed butter'. I made a tahini-based sauce the other day and mum said it tasted like a satay, so that opened my eyes a bit more about tahini. So this morning I mixed one part tahini, one part cocoa and probably one and a half parts carob syrup (which is naturally high in sugar). And it was just like a thickish chocolate paste! It was awesome. It would make a really nice icing or chocolate spread for something. Oh and I added cinnamon to it.

I'd also love to try coconut butter and cocoa powder and honey. I'll let you guys know the turnout once I try it!

You know what else is good with chocolate? Cinnamon and cayenne. I added it to my avocado mousse and oh ma gawd it's amazing. I love chilli, and adding it to chocolate kinda brings out the flavour but gives it it's own spice too. And the cinnamon grounds the cayenne and makes it more homely. Cinnamon makes everything homely. I mean, what's less homely than smelling cinnamon stewing away in an apple pie scented home?