S’Mores?

S’Mores?

August 10 is National S’Mores Day, and the main advantage of S’mores seems to be that you can make them outside after a barbecue even if you’re “totally crispy.”

The idea behind this dessert, as I have understood it since my days in Boy Scouts, is that the fire-roasted marshmallow melts the chocolate between the Graham crackers to create a gooey, melty mess of deliciousness only an adolescent could truly love. Problem is, this never works. You cannot possibly get a hot enough marshmallow to melt the chocolate. Or do I misunderstand: is melting the chocolate not part of it? I believe it is.

Though preparing S'mores in the oven makes sense vis a vis melted chocolate , the whole idea of this preposterous postre is to make a campfire dessert and use the last of the glowing embers to deliver the final course.

Conferring recently with Reverend Andy, he suggested that perhaps Royal Grahams would be a good way to get a slight melt on interior chocolate.

S’mores make little sense to me…though I do like the idea of making dessert over an open fire. I know Hershey’s chocolate is the default ingredient for this outdoor treat, but perhaps if the Grahams were spread with Nutella or some other already soft chocolate, the result would be more satisfying. As it is, the three ingredients seem never to come together.

I know the S'more is a much beloved summer treat, but I suspect it's likely a "tradition" generated in the Hershey marketing department, and so, reluctantly I say, S'more, me to you, I'm calling bullshit.

my childhood memories of s'mores on the shores of lake superior are that proper marshmallow toasting technique lends to chocolate that loses any snap and squishes slightly, but doesn't get all over your hands and face.

I love 'em. If you don't, you're doing it wrong

David Hammond wrote:I know the S'more is a much beloved summer treat, but I suspect it's likely a "tradition" generated in the Hershey marketing department, and so, reluctantly I say, S'more, me to you, I'm calling bullshit.

gleam wrote:I love 'em. If you don't, you're doing it wrong

I'm on "Team Gleam" here. David, you've unjustly maligned a lot of foods in your day, but this is just too far.

gleam wrote:proper marshmallow toasting technique lends to chocolate that loses any snap and squishes slightly, but doesn't get all over your hands and face.

I agree. Merely softening the chocolate, not fully melting it, is the path to s'more nirvana.

Khaopaat wrote:

gleam wrote:proper marshmallow toasting technique lends to chocolate that loses any snap and squishes slightly, but doesn't get all over your hands and face.

I agree. Merely softening the chocolate, not fully melting it, is the path to s'more nirvana.

Which is exactly why good ol' waxy Hershey's and fake marshmallows work perfectly in s'mores. The Hershey's only softens under the heat of the toasted marshmallow, and the fake marshmallows get toasty on the outside without totally losing their structural integrity. What a great treat.

David,

Please lay down your weapon and back slowly out of the room.

Thank you,
LTHForum

PS
Did your parents not let you go to sleepaway camp when you were a boy?

Khaopaat wrote:

gleam wrote:proper marshmallow toasting technique lends to chocolate that loses any snap and squishes slightly, but doesn't get all over your hands and face.

I agree. Merely softening the chocolate, not fully melting it, is the path to s'more nirvana.

Clearly, more rigorous testing is required, but it's not been my experience that the residual thermal energy of even a properly "roasted" (or is it toasted?) marshmallow can make any kind of impact on the structural integrity of a Hershey's chocolate slab...unless, perhaps, the marshmallow is transferred still flaming from grill to cracker, and even then, it cools too quickly to have much effect on the chocolate except, perhaps, to warm it slightly.

David Hammond wrote:

Khaopaat wrote:

gleam wrote:proper marshmallow toasting technique lends to chocolate that loses any snap and squishes slightly, but doesn't get all over your hands and face.

I agree. Merely softening the chocolate, not fully melting it, is the path to s'more nirvana.

Clearly, more rigorous testing is required, but it's not been my experience that the residual thermal energy of even a properly "roasted" (or is it toasted?) marshmallow can make any kind of impact on the structural integrity of a Hershey's chocolate slab...unless, perhaps, the marshmallow is transferred still flaming from grill to cracker, and even then, it cools too quickly to have much effect on the chocolate except, perhaps, to warm it slightly.

It's pretty hot today, David. Go buy a Hershey's bar, and set it outside. See if the chocolate slab melts. Report back.

Seriously, though, I just made s'mores on Saturday. I toasted the marshmallows (2) in one hand, had the graham cracker (one full piece ) and chocolate ready in the other. I blew out the ignited marshmallows, then set them immediately onto the chocolate, sandwiched them in the graham crackers, then pulled the stick out of the marshmallows. Pressed the whole thing as I walked back to my seat. By the time I arrived, it was ready to eat.

The vast majority of the nation's s'mores are the poor renditions described by Mr. Hammond, because people tend to view s'more-making as some "fun" or "family" event rather than the serious culinary endeavor it shoudl be. You can melt the chocolate on a smore, but only if you do it right and pay attention! Stop reminiscing about old times, telling ghost stories, and laughing it up over warm, fuzzy campfire tales. To make a s'more right requires focus. Break off a graham cracker, and make sure that a chocolate piece is pre-placed on top of it. Place another graham cracker (unadorned) an inch or so away from the chocolate-covered one. Have that mise en place within arm's reach when you start toasting the marshmallow. When the marshmallow is done you have to work quickly! Place it on top of the chocolate-covered graham, then immediately use the unadorned graham to smoosh it down, using just the right amount of pressure so that the marshmallow oozes out the sides only ever-so-slightly. Keep mild pressure applied for 7 seconds, then consume.

I am not a Hershey's fan, even melted; I find it to be unacceptably grainy and milky. A while back, Hershey came out with a product called Cacao Reserve Ultra-thins that I miss terribly, they were perfect for S'mores: dark chocolate that turned into a cookie-coating puddle when it heard the mere whisper of a toasted marshmallow. Unfortunately, these didn't take commercially and are no longer available (it never occurred to Hershey to sell S'mores to adults, I suppose.) Ghiradelli squares are too thick and too large.

I've often wondered about skipping the whole assembly and just starting out with a chocolate-covered cookie, like Little Schoolboys, but have not gotten around to it yet - though apparently I'm not the only person with this idea.

A properly toasted marshmallow will have enough residual heat to cause serious burns. Toast slowly at a distance using embers, not the fire, to heat the marshmallow evenly to the core. It will be a light golden brown at this point. Just before construction, get the marshmallow in close to sear for a few seconds to get that additional browning and burnt sugar crust.

The mise-en-place as Kenny described is essential, although I prefer a 10-count of smooshing instead of 7.

I guess we were two weeks early....

Mhays wrote:I've often wondered about skipping the whole assembly and just starting out with a chocolate-covered cookie, like Little Schoolboys, but have not gotten around to it yet - though apparently I'm not the only person with this idea.

Le Petit Ecolier cookies seem like a very good idea. The chocolate on these cookies melts almost upon human touch and would probably melt readily with the additional warmth provided by a marshmallow.

Hammond - Seriously?

Plain old Hershey Bars. You sit around a campfire, and already the bars are getting melty.

Toast those marshmallows until they are falling-off-the-stick gooey (I like them very toasty, but not flamed, ymmv)

Goshdarn Grump!

Not a fan of Hershey's myself (at least not the basic bar), but good chocolate and marshmallow is a great combination. The cracker adds texture.
Hammond - to taste test - try a square or two from a good chocolate bar (ingredients should have nothing but chocolate, sugar and lecithin; maybe vanilla) and to get it to melt, place chocolate and marshmallow over a graham cracker and microwave for 8-10 seconds (do not apply flames to microwave (or me)). Remove from microwave, cover with second graham cracker, test with upper lip to gauge if it is too hot, when cool, enjoy.

kanin wrote:A properly toasted marshmallow will have enough residual heat to cause serious burns. Toast slowly at a distance using embers, not the fire, to heat the marshmallow evenly to the core. It will be a light golden brown at this point. Just before construction, get the marshmallow in close to sear for a few seconds to get that additional browning and burnt sugar crust.

The mise-en-place as Kenny described is essential, although I prefer a 10-count of smooshing instead of 7.

This is very good marshmallow toasting advice. You have to keep the marshmallow far enough from the heat until you see it start to sag/slump a bit, and then blast it (lighting it on fire or not, depending on your preference). The crust keeps the gooey marshmallow center from completely escaping, but there's plenty of heat to soften/slightly melt the chocolate.

Try Nutella as a replacement for the Hershey bar. Really, quite good, and you get that meltiness whether you want it or not.

I have the slightest predilection for handcrafting the marshmallows from the reduction of Althaea officinalis which I personally gather, tempered with a 3:1 ratio of jaggery to piloncillo, and coddled in spirits with the egg-white of a thrush and the purest gelatin of musk-oxen bones, the suspension of which is enriched by lavender and almond oil. Then, if I'm feeling particularly decadent, I may toast it in embers of ebony and sandalwood, but for to sandwich it between barred xocolātl and fresh-baked digestive biscuits of graham flour from the Suffield mills, clover honey, and fleur de sel. I find that the native bitterness of properly fermented chocolate - always in the presence of achiote and capscicum, to optimize the theobromine catharsis - offers that eff of counterbalance sorely lacking in most s'mores.

Sometimes I just fuck it and run with Jet-Puffed, Nabisco, and Hershey's, though.

Actually, August 10 is National S'Mores day.
(and if you need to buy yours already made, the version at Hearty is pretty good)

leek wrote:Actually, August 10 is National S'Mores day.
(and if you need to buy yours already made, the version at Hearty is pretty good)

Thanks for the correction leek -- I'm going to fix the reference in the OP.

Concept: the s'moregg, or Greater Hammondsbane.

graham cracker
toasted marshmallow
softened, unmelted chocolate
bacon (or possibly Vosges Mo Bacon bar)*
runny fried quail egg
optional: toasted banana for cohesion

Possibly coming soon to a picnic near you, based on testing for outdoor event suitability. Cassie Walker is not invited to the preview.

*optional substitution for pairs4life: standard chocolate, smoked paprika, Baconnaise

S'Mores are a National Treasure, and we have the Girl Scouts to thank, as the first S'Mores recipe was published in the 1927 Girl Scout Handbook, Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts.

Here are some fun links to Wonderful S'Mores recipes, and a cookbook created by Girl Scouts.
http://www.girlscoutsww.org/for_girls/smores
http://www.girlscoutsww.org/files/S'moresAmour.pdf

My own personal favorite riff on the Smore is the Pina Colada S'More
Using 2 CoConut cookies in place of the Graham Cracker, add a slice of grilled pineapple,
the chocolate (Hersheys is perfect for S'More's!) and two perfectly toasted marshmallows on either side of the chocolate.

Proper S'More technique as portrayed in "The Sandlot" when the buddies have retreated to the neighborhood treehouse:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rpJw0dM ... re=related



"First you pick the graham
You stick the chocolate on the graham
Then you roast the 'mallow
When the 'mallow's flamin' you stick it on the chocolate
Then you cover it with the other end
Then...you scarf"

Quality is poor but this is a funny scene.

Cheers,

Davooda

irisarbor wrote:Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts.

For reals?

Mr. Hammond, you beat me to it.

This is absolutely true.
It was the name of the Girl Scout Handbook in 1927.
(I am a veteran of 12 yrs Girl Scout leader, so I usually know whereof I speak in most things GS)

irisarbor wrote:This is absolutely true.
It was the name of the Girl Scout Handbook in 1927.
(I am a veteran of 12 yrs Girl Scout leader, so I usually know whereof I speak in most things GS)

When you call GS, I believe you.

Hey, where are they taking Steve?

This blog has several very interesting variations...just as storebought, but I like the ideas...

I like to toast the marshmallow until it is evenly browned - not burnt - then stick the hershey's chocolate in the center of the marshmallow - in the hole created by the stick. Squished between graham crackers - it is the perfect gooey mess.

My neighbor uses Reese's peanut butter cups instead of Hershey's...