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IACP Highlight: Mollie Katzen and walnut marshmallows
Katzen is here this week with the California Walnut Board, which will have a booth at the culinary expo on Friday, and she’s the special guest of a walnut-themed media dinner at Olivia on Friday night.
I don’t usually write about special dinners at restaurant, but the recipes for Olivia chef James Holmes’ walnut marshmallows and walnut brittle, which he’s serving for the dinner with Katzen on Friday, was just too good to pass up. (Need a primer on homemade marshmallows? Check out this story from Memorial Day last year.)
If making homemade marshmallows seems out of your culinary reach, check out Katzen’s (much easier) recipe for
walnut butter.
Walnut Marshmallows
1/2 cup cold water
14 sheets gelatin or 3 packages gelatin
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup ground toasted walnuts (pulsed into a powder in a blender)
2 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup powdered sugar, for dusting
Lightly oil a 13- x 9- inch dish or pan. Pour the water into the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle over the gelatin powder to bloom the gelatin.
In a small pan, slowly bring the sugar, corn syrup, hot water and salt to a boil, stirring. When the sugar has dissolved stop stirring and cook until it reaches 240 degrees on a sugar thermometer. Immediately drizzle the hot sugar mixture down the side of the bowl over the gelatin as the mixer is running. Beat continuously on high speed until white, thick and tripled in size. Fold in the walnuts. In a second bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks; fold into the gelatin mixture with the vanilla. Pour into the lightly oiled dish or pan.
Sift powder sugar over the surface of the marshmallow and chill until set. Unmold and cut into any size rectangles or cubes, a pizza wheel works well for this. In order to get the suggest 102 servings, cut the marshmallows into cubes 3/4-1 1/2 inches. Brulee marshmallow with a torch for a “campfire” effect.
Spicy Walnut Brittle
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups lightly toasted walnuts, roughly broken into pieces
4 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. cayenne
Lightly oil a quarter sheet pan with canola oil. Slowly bring the sugar, water and salt to a boil; stirring. When the sugar has dissolved, stop stirring and cook until the mixture changes to an amber color, but is not smoking; you can swirl the mixture occasionally but do not stir. When the sugar reaches the desired color, immediately add the walnuts, butter, vanilla and cayenne; stir to combine. Working quickly, pour the nut mixture onto the oiled sheet tray. Spread to about a 1/4- inch thick; allow to cool until very firm. Break into bite size pieces to serve.
— Taff Mayberry, pastry chef at Olivia
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