Another day. Another take on store-bought Easter eggs. These gorgeous chocolate eggs caught my eye at the supermarket. So pretty. Perfect to be decapitated using my new-found serrated knife skills and filled with something special.

A couple of Friday nights ago we had watched Karen Martini make raspberry marshmallows coated in sherbet on television.  My girls were fascinated and copied down a recipe of sorts. Two kitchen science experiments in one. Marshmallow and sherbet. Combined with chocolate Easter eggs? Teenage girl nirvana. Especially when the marshmallow is luscious, pink and gooey.

Sherbet hardly qualifies as a recipe on its own. It’s merely icing sugar, cornflour and tangy citric acid sifted together. Personally I think it might be a little too over the top. After all raspberries are quite tart and sweet on their own. If my kitchen ruled I would prefer simply dusting the marshmallows in just a little icing sugar. Pure and simple.

I’d forgotten how enjoyable marshmallow making can be. Pure theatre. Hot flavoured syrup mixed with a little gelatine and added to beaten egg whites. Transformed into billowing clouds of soft deliciousness right before your eyes. It’s a good idea to use a candy thermometer for this one. The sugar syrup needs to be heated to a very precise 120 C. Don’t be daunted. It all sounds so very complicated but truly it’s not, and is well worth the effort. in less that half an hour the girls and I had a carton of mallow filled eggs on the kitchen bench. The leftover marshmallow was poured into a tray.No doubt to be liberally doused in sherbet and enjoyed on its own.

Raspberry Marshmallows Dusted With Sherbet

300 grams frozen raspberries, thawed
9 sheets gelatine
450 grams caster sugar
150 ml water
80 g egg whites (about 2 eggs)

For the Sherbet

5 tablespoons  pure icing sugar
2 tablespoons cornflour
2 tablespoons citric acid

LIGHTLY  grease a 25 cm x 25 cm square baking tin with oil and line with baking paper.
SIFT together the  sherbet ingredients into a small bowl. Set aside.
PUREE raspberries in a blender and strain through a sieve to remove any pips.
SOFTEN gelatine leaves in a little cold water for 5 minutes. Squeeze out any excess moisture and add to the raspberry puree.
COMBINE sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil brushing down the sides of the saucepan with a pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming.
USING a candy thermometer continue to boil the mixture, without stirring, until it reaches 120 C.
REMOVE saucepan from heat and stir in the raspberry gelatine puree.
WHIP egg whites in a large clean bowl. When soft peaks form add the raspberry gelatine syrup to the bowl.
CONTINUE to whip for a further 12 minutes – starting on the lowest  setting  and progressing to the highest until the mixture has tripled in volume and is glossy.
POUR into the prepared tin and allow to stand at room temperature for about 4 hours to set.
WHEN set cut into desired shapes and then coat each piece with sherbet.

To Assemble Marshmallow Filled Easter Eggs

a  carton of a dozen hollow chocolate Easter eggs purchased  from the supermarket
2 cups freshly made marshmallow mixture, not set
1 -2 tablespoons home-made sherbet
12 raspberries to decorate

STAND a serrated knife in a jug of hot water. When heated through, remove the knife from the jug and wipe dry with a paper towel. Working quickly carefully remove the top of each chocolate Easter egg. For a clean edge I like to wipe the knife clean and reheat for each egg. The hot knife should cut through the chocolate egg like butter.
PIPE or spoon freshly made marshmallow into the decapitated eggs. Allow to set at room temperature for half an hour.
DUST each filled Easter egg with sherbet and top with a raspberry.

If you would like to read my previous post on rocky road filled Easter eggs click on the link below.
Minimum Effort. Maximum Effect. Store Bought Chocolate Easter Eggs Filled With Home-made Rocky Road.