Whilst not strictly sugar free, the only sweetener in this recipe is honey.
The recipe might feel a little technical, but to be completely honest, as long as you follow the instructions, it’s pretty straightforward and very quick. You just need to get everything ready before you start.
These mallows are completely delicious. There is a beautiful taste of honey that lasts for ages after the mallow has melted inside your mouth. A delightful pillowy texture and flavour combination using only a few ingredients and an excellent way to use up those egg whites.
Ingredients:
2 egg whites (room temperature
340ml honey
15 sheets bronze leaf gelatine (appropriate to set 2 pints or 1.25 litres liquid)
A dusting of tapioca/very finely milled or similar (cornflour if you must) or cocoa powder if you’d like a hint of choc flavour…
You will need: a stand mixer or electric handheld whisk, a jam thermometer or similar, 1 high sided saucepan, a prepared tin (I use a brownie tin with 2 – 3 inch sides – oiled and then dusted with tapioca flour/very finely milled other flour that is suitable to your dietary needs (cornflour for some I guess). You could also use cocoa powder to insert a chocolate flavour if you like.
Method:
- Separate your eggs to isolate the whites. Make absolutely certain that you have no egg yolk bits in it. This will adversely affect the volume of the whites once whipped.
- Place your egg whites in a scrupulously clean bowl, preferably of a free standing mixer – but you can make this recipe with a handheld electric whisk too. I wouldn’t attempt mallows unless you have either one of these. (As an extra precaution to make sure the bowl is properly clean and free of any oil, you could rub a slice of lemon around the bowl as belt and braces…). Set aside.
- Tip your 340ml honey into a deep sided saucepan – the high sides are important as the honey will rise up the sides of the pan when bubbling.
- Get yourself a largish bowl and fill with cold water, count out your gelatine leaves, but don’t put them in yet. Set aside.
- You are now ready! Start by placing the saucepan of honey over a medium heat. What will happen is that the honey will start to slowly bubble and then boil. If you don’t have a thermometer, you can still make the recipe as long as you keep a very close eye on the bubbles, as soon as they rise up the sides of the pan, you will be pretty much there. The temperature you are looking for is 242 F or 119 C on your thermometer.
- Once the temperature has been reached you will have to move very quickly. Turn off the heat under the honey and very, very quickly start your mixer beaters and whisk your egg whites to stiff peaks, if you have a spare hand, at the same time throw your gelatine leaves into the bowl of cold water you prepared earlier and then with the mixer still going very, very carefully pour the still hot honey into the egg whites. Be extra careful to make sure you don’t pour the honey onto the beaters or your whisk attachments but try to pour straight into the egg white itself.
- Keep whisking for about 3 minutes, don’t stop! Keep whisking if you can whilst you test that the gelatine leaves in the bowl of water are soft, pick up the leaves in your hands and squeeze the excess water out and throw the leaves into the egg white and honey mix whilst still mixing and continue to mix until the side of the bowl feels luke warm to touch.
- Stop the mixer, quickly pour/scoop the meringue into your prepared tin. Smooth the top and dust with a little more of your flour/cocoa powder.
- Set aside to cool completely. You can speed this up by popping the lot in the fridge but I find it can make the finished mallows a little too bouncy!
- Once cool and set, slice with a sharp knife into squares and then dust each cube on all sides with your chosen flour.
- Eat and share with everyone they are little pillows of joy. Keep in an airtight container for up to a week.
