Gastronomica's Marshmallow Fluff Extravaganza

Last month, I was fortunate enough to attend the Marshmallow Fluff forum at the Astor Center. The evening was part of an ongoing series organized by Gastronomica, the wonderful quarterly food journal.

The event itself brought focus to article in the Spring issue of Gastronomica by Katie Liesener which chronicled the evolution of this "food" product in New England and the rather torrid love affair it has experienced in America.

Here are some interesting facts about Marshmallow Fluff that I learned:

~ Marshmallow Fluff was invented in 1917.

~ To this day, Marshmallow Fluff is made in a small factory by the Durkee-Mower Company in Lynn, Massachusetts.

~ New England and upstate New York count for over half of all Marshmallow Fluff sales.


Although I'm not a New England native, I grew up eating the Kraft Foods version of Marshmallow Fluff. For my regular readers, you'll recognize it as the key ingredient in my grandmother's fudge recipe. We also used Fluff to make Rice Krispy treats. To be honest, I don't remember a period of my life when I didn't know what Fluff was. Perhaps my early adoption of the product meant I was destined to move East to the land of Fluff and coastal cities.

Over the course of the panel discussion, the Astor Center provided each attendee with a platter of Fluff delicacies, which included a Rice Krispy treat made with brown butter, a peanut butter and Fluff sandwich (Fluffernutter, for you not in the know), a peanut butter, Fluff, and bacon sandwich, and an unusual combination of a saltine topped with tuna, hot sauce, and of course, Marshmallow Fluff. Although the tuna concoction sounds a bit weird, you couldn't actually taste the Fluff through the overpowering tuna and hot sauce, so it really just tasted as expected. The peanut butter, Fluff and bacon sandwich was probably my favorite - you simply can't go wrong with sweet and savory. It's the world's best combination, in my opinion.


However, the real stand out of the evening was a cocktail designed especially for the event. A take on the classic Aviation, the Astor Center mixologist pre-mixed the maraschino liqueur with Marshmallow Fluff in a blender, and then proceeded with the classic recipe. As someone adventurous when it comes to taste (you should have seen me the first time I was offered haggis - I couldn't wait to try it!), I immediately ordered this special drink. And may I say, it might be my new favorite novelty cocktail. Although the drink itself looked like cloudy water, the taste was incredible, perfect for sipping while I enjoyed the fact that I live in a city that hosts entire evenings dedicated to Marshmallow Fluff.


If you're interested, here is the recipe and "how to" to create the Marshmallow Fluff cocktail at home:

Ingredients (Per each cocktail):
2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons maraschino liqueur, preferably Luxardo, blended with Marshmallow Fluff
1/4 ounce Crème de Violette
Lemon twist, for garnish.

First, blend a healthy amount of maraschino liqueur with Marshmallow Fluff. The final product should be like a normal liquid - not sticky or gummy (Remember: you have to put this in a cocktail shaker at some point!). Combine the gin, lemon juice and maraschino/Fluff mixture in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake to chill well, then strain into a cocktail glass. Drizzle the Crème de Violette into the glass and garnish with a lemon twist.

Yield: one cocktail.

Exciting upcoming dessert events at the Astor Center

The month of May is full of exciting dessert related events in New York City, and the Astor Center is proving to be the hostess with the mostess.

First up, on May 21st the Astor Center, along with Citysearch and iSi North America, will present "Sugar & Whips," in what is being described as an "evening of pure decadence." Six renowned New York City pastry chefs will be serving up desserts, cocktails and even a coffee concoction or two for your pleasure and celebrating the finer (in my opinion, the finest) things in life: Dessert! Pastry chefs in attendance will include Dominique Ansel of Daniel, Heather Bertinetti of Convivio and Alto, Johnny Iuzzini of Jean Georges, Michael Laiskonis of Le Bernardin, Nancy Olson of Gramercy Tavern, and Robert Truit of Corton. Also, the French Culinary Institute's master mixologist, David Arnold, will be showcasing his incredible skills throughout the evening.

I saw Michael Laiskonis last month when he was part of a food blogging panel at the New York Institute of Technology, so I'm excited to see him again, but this time, more in his element i.e. making desserts instead of chatting about technology and blogs.

"Sugar and Whips" takes place, as mentioned, on Thursday, May 21st, in the Astor Center Gallery from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. The cost is $25. You can purchase tickets by visiting here.

Next up is "Marshmallow Fluff: A Gastronomica Forum," featuring Cathy Kaufman, Darra Goldstein, Katie Liesener, and Mimi Graney, on May 26th.

I for one am stoked for this particular panel, because as you may recall, Marshmallow Fluff is the key ingredient in one of my all-time favorite recipes - my grandmother's fudge. You can see the recipe by clicking here.


According to the event description, this event will cover everything you wanted to know about Fluff Marshmallow Crème - the origins of this illicit "food" product, what exactly makes Fluff, the controversy behind this delicious sweet treat and how at the end of the day, you either love it or hate and how even the government chimed in on this most random of ingredients.

A fluff cocktail will be served, as well as fluffernutter sandwiches and other fluff-inspired snacks.

"Marshmallow Fluff" will take place on Tuesday, May 26th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Astor Center Gallery. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by clicking here.

A new take on s'mores.

S'mores might be one of my favorite classic American desserts. Whether you make them around the camp fire or in the microwave, you're guaranteed a yummy snack.

While living in Scotland, one of my major homesick cravings was for s'mores. I found it difficult to find marshmallows in U.K. grocery stores, and the ones they did sell were these pastel colored concoctions that didn't melt property. They just sort of liquefied when you put them in the microwave, unlike the American version that will puff up. (I'm not sure I can really call them "American," but I've only made s'mores in two countries, one of which didn't have the right kind of marshmallows. Just go with me on this...). The puffiness allows you to smash the graham cracker on top and helps melt the chocolate. And it's just kinda satisfying to smash something.

I had talked up the s'more to my boyfriend at the time, and after the debacle with the pastel. "marshmallows," I was beginning to think he doubted the awesomeness that is the s'more. He had never heard or tasted one before, so I wasn't about to let this go. My mother was coming to visit from Oklahoma for 8 days, so when she asked if there was anything i wanted from home, I gave her the list: graham crackers, marshmallows, and Hershey's chocolate. My mother is used to my weirdness, so she didn't hesitate when she said,"Consider it done."

A week later, my groceries arrived (along with my mom), and I'd like to think that the s'more is just one thing I contributed to my motherland in the year that I lived there.

I mention this because Passover is coming up next month, and I found an interesting take on the s'more - using matzo in place of graham crackers.


Essentially, you make the matzo s'mores the same way you make the graham cracker version. The only difference is that since matzo isn't sweet like our friend the graham cracker, it's best to drizzle chocolate over the matzo and then refrigerate under set - this only takes a few minutes. Then, take some marshmallows and roast them under the broiler. Once toasted, layer the marshmallow on top of a matzo square topped with a square of chocolate. Now the fun part - smash another matzo square on top, creating a matzo sandwich a.k.a a matzo s'more.

(Recipe taken from Martha Stewart Living)