Passion Fruit Marshmallows for Valentine's Day

A sweet-tart treat for your loved ones

Today I think you should start thinking about what you’re going to make your loved ones for Valentine’s Day (though don’t worry, I also have a fun last-minute idea for you that I’ll share next week!). This is a recipe that we originally developed for minibar, my 2 Michelin starred tasting counter in Washington, DC—but it’s actually not a super difficult, technical recipe. We made it in the earliest days of minibar, 20 years ago, when we were playing with gelatins and other interesting textures.

So this below is a very delicious, very impressive but simple passion fruit marshmallow…which I think would be perfect to share with someone you love on Valentine’s Day (and you can bring the rest into the office the next day!). It has the beautiful sweet-tart flavor of passion fruit, and if you cut it in the shape of a heart, it will be a perfect surprise! I even thought about adding a drizzle of melted chocolate to the hearts for an extra-special treat…

If you’ve never worked with gelatin before, there are a few keys to master. One is to make sure you’ve fully bloomed and dissolved the gelatin before you use it, so you add it to a small amount of cold water and stir it well so it doesn’t clump together. If you can find it, gelatin also comes in sheets—in professional kitchens, we prefer to use sheet gelatin, which dissolves a lot more uniformly and is easier to use, but I know it might be hard to find sheet gelatin in grocery stores.

Passion fruit puree should be something you can find at Latin stores in the refrigerator or freezer section, or you can order it online—I like the Vergers Boiron brand the best.

The process isn’t too hard, just give yourself some time to get it right, or maybe even make a test batch for your neighbors before you make it for Valentine’s Day dessert. You’re basically making an Italian meringue with gelatin—pouring a passionfruit syrup into whisked egg whites, and beating it until you get a thick, fluffy marshmallow. It’s a great trick to learn, and once you’ve mastered the technique, you can make amazing buttercreams, mousses, and pies…!

So here you go…minibar’s Passion Fruit Marshmallows, ready for the people you love!

Passion Fruit Marshmallows from minibar