I have renewed my love of marshmallows. Not from a stuff in the mouth or toast over a smoking fire perspective but as a cooking ingredient.
Marshmallows have an esteemed history dating back to approximately 2000 B.C when the Egyptians used the root of the mallow plant to make candied delicacies for their gods, nobility and pharaohs.
Found mostly in Europe and western Asia, Althaea officinalis grows as high as 180cm (6 feet) tall and sprouts light pink flowers. A member of the mallow family, it grows mainly in wet or marshy areas—and thus, "marsh" meets "mallow."
This recipe is super fast and foolproof. Great over fruit, ice cream or both, it can be made ahead, stored in the refrigerator and gently reheated in the microwave whenever the craving takes you.
Despite the ingredients, it is not sickly sweet like some caramel sauces and bears a striking resemblance to MacDonald's caramel fudge topping. Yummo!
Ingredients
125g butter
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
100g white marshmallows (Add a few pink if short on white ones. You will never know the difference.)
2 tablespoons milk.
Method
1. Combine all ingredients in a large, microwave safe jug.
2. Cook on HIGH for 30 second bursts stirring in between until the marshmallows are melted.
3. Stir or whisk well to mix.
4. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator if not eating straight away.
There are some recipes that are timeless. Do you remember the 70s and 80s when the 'in thing' was the prawn cocktail- nude, little prawns hanging over the side of a dish containing the ubiquitous thousand island dressing? Let's not forget the shredded lettuce. Just in case you have forgotten, I found a photo on Wikipedia to jog your memory.
I will not dwell on prawn cocktails any longer but rather I will share the simplest peanut satay sauce you will ever make. Many years ago I found a recipe that didn't require roasting peanuts, grinding peanuts, mixing things with the peanuts, etc,etc. It was great and I made it many times but often I would either not have all the ingredients in the house or forget to put something in because I no longer used the recipe.
Fast forward a few more years and I was looking for tasty recipes for my annual family get together. The weather in Brisbane in April is beautiful and perfect for a barbecue so we decided to cook chicken sticks and sausages and anything else our guests wish to bring with them.
I didn't even look for the recipe this time.
My peanut satay sauce now has only 3 ingredients.
1 can coconut milk
6 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
3 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce- more if you like it hot.
(This makes a large quantity.)
Method
Heat slowly and stir until well combined.
Simmer until desired thickness.
If the sauce starts to separate, stir vigorously and it will recombine.
Ideal accompaniment for any meats, to dip raw vegetables in or spice up roasted veggies.
