Drinks & Dishes with Kathy Casey Liquid Kitchen

December 19th, 2018 | By Kathy Casey

Drink: Red Wine Honey Sipping Chocolate

Dish: Honey Marshmallows

Winter Sweet Decadence

Who doesn’t love chocolate … and red wine?! So why not whip up a timely seasonal sip by combining these two beloved ingredients in a decadent sipping chocolate. This winter warmer is lightly sweetened with a touch of honey. It’s rich, delicious, and meant to be sipped and savored on a brisk night. For even more indulgence, top with toasted hand-made Honey Marshmallows and sprinkle with red wine salt. Serve extra on the side for nibbling.
– Kathy

Red Wine Honey Sipping Chocolate

Pre-make the mix and then heat to order for service.
Makes about 8 small-sipping servings.

12 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup Joel Gott Merlot
2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup honey

Garnish: Honey Marshmallows (see recipe or substitute gourmet purchased marshmallows), red wine salt*, honey for drizzling

Combine the chocolate and wine in a bain-marie over low heat; whisk until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and add the milk and honey; stir to combine. Remove from heat and chill. Heat to order and serve in small cups. Garnish with toasted marshmallows, lightly drizzled with honey and sprinkled with red wine salt.
*Red wine salt is available online.

Honey Marshmallows

House-made marshmallows are so delicious, and once you get the hang of it, it’s easy! Use a fragrant honey, like orange blossom or wildflower.

Makes about 100, 1 1/2-inch marshmallows, or 1 1/2 pounds

3/4 cup honey
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
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1/2 cup pasteurized egg whites
6 each, gold or bronze gelatin sheets
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1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch

Lightly spray 2 full-size sheet pans with pan spray. Prepare a pastry bag fitted with a large plain pastry tip. Set aside.

Fill a bowl with ice water and add gelatin sheets. Soften or “bloom” the gelatin for 5-10 minutes, then gently squeeze out the excess water. Set aside. Meanwhile, combine the honey, sugar, corn syrup and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Cook without stirring until a candy thermometer reads 230°F. Continue to cook while you prepare the egg whites.

When the syrup reaches 230°F, start beating the egg whites on high speed until firm peaks have formed. When honey mix reaches 240°F, slowly pour it into the egg whites with the mixer on medium speed.

Once you have added 3/4 of the honey mix, add the bloomed gelatin sheets, followed by the remaining honey mixture. Increase the mixer speed to high. Continue to beat the mixture for 10-13 minutes, with a bowl of ice under the mixing bowl to help cool the mixture. The mixture will increase in volume and start to thicken.

Once thickened, fill the pastry bag with some of the marshmallow mixture. Allow mixture to rest for 2 minutes before piping. Pipe 1 1/2-inch marshmallows onto the prepared sheet pans. Refill the piping bag as needed. Next, mix the powdered sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Dust the mixture over the marshmallows using a fine strainer. (Reserve extra for final dusting.) Let set at room temperature, uncovered for 24 hours. Once marshmallows are set, remove from pan and toss in remaining cornstarch mix. Store in a single layer in an airtight container.

Sweet Tip: This recipe can be made in hotel pans and cut or piped into different shapes and sizes.

Kathy Casey is an award winning chef and mixologist, best known as the original Bar Chef. She owns Kathy Casey Food Studios – Liquid Kitchen® a global full-service food, beverage and concept development agency and Dish D’Lish, a healthy food-to-go concept at Sea Tac airport. Contact: info@kathycasey.com Follow: @KathyCaseyChef

December 19th, 2018 | By Kathy Casey

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