Monday, March 16, 2009

Pete’s Gourmet Confections: Marshmallows

imageSince starting Candy Blog I’ve found there is a wonderful world of marshmallows out there beyond the See’s Scotchmallow.

Pete’s Gourmet Confections does something that I haven’t seen very often: they offer gourmet marshmallows (mallows, as he refers to them) and other handmade confections that are certified Kosher. If you want to see Pete Coyle making mallows, check out this piece from the Food Network (it looks like sticky, sticky work).

I was definitely intrigued when they contacted me, so they sent me some samples of their most popular products.

image

This set of four was a good introduction, it’s their year round product, the Gourmet Assorted Dipped Marshmallows. Each piece is about a one inch cube.

  • Dark Chocolate covered Marshmallow - spongy and soft, a little on the dry side with a nice latexy chew. Fresh and satisfying, but doesn’t leave me feeling full.
  •  

  • Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberry Marshmallow - a similar soft and bouncy texture with a kiss of strawberry scent and a faint pink color. There no hint of tartness, just the sweet floral flavors of strawberry. It tastes a lot like sunshine.
  •  

  • White Chocolate covered Marshmallow - this is definitely not for those afraid of sweet. Though the marshmallows themselves are mild, the white chocolate is very milky and sticky sweet. It has strong vanilla notes as well.
  •  

  • White Chocolate covered Chocolate Marshmallow - the texture of this marshmallow is a bit more dense, it’s not just a touch of cocoa in here for color. The cocoa flavors don’t really infuse the marshmallow so much as temper it to be less sweet and a little on the smoky side (maybe even a touch on the salt side). The white chocolate, though, bumps it back up with a dose of sugar.
  • imageBut chocolate covered handmade marshmallows, that’s been done, right? What bowled me over was the look of the Easter version, these beautiful chocolate dipped eggs.

    Pete’s Gourmet makes two different versions for Easter. The ones shown here are the Ukrainian Easter Eggs.

    Ukrainian Easter Eggs (Pysanka) are a folk art tradition characterized by geometric & stylized patterns made in the process of wax-resist. As a kid I loved making ornate Easter eggs and learned to blow them (make a small hole in either end of a raw egg, take a long pin or needle to pierce the yolk and then blow into one end to force the “scrambled” egg out into a bowl). The empty egg was then ready to be decorated. The traditional Ukrainian style is quite involved. Designs are laid onto the shell using melted wax, then the egg is dyed, more patterns are put on with wax, so that the lines and shapes are different colors. The final background colors after many layerings of dye are nearly black.

    imageThen the egg is carefully heated with a flame to melt the wax, and wiped off to reveal the colors beneath (and gives the egg a bit of seal and shine).

    These marshmallow eggs bear some of those designs on dark and white chocolate transfers.

    The Ukrainian mix of eggs come in Vanilla, Lemon and Strawberry. There was no key with them, and I think I gave away my lemon one, so I didn’t really get to try anything new here from the regular square version.

    image

    The Modern Chocolate Marshmallow Easter Eggs version is a spring pastel mix of flowers, waves and patterns. These are also white or dark chocolate - all over the classic vanilla marshmallow.

    What I enjoyed, about this format was that they’re not nearly as thick as the squares. These varied but were generally about one half to three quarters of an inch thick. There was more chocolate per bite than the squares, so the marshmallow to chocolate ratio varied (depending one whether I was at an edge).

    They’re also just stunning, everyone whom I’ve showed them to has admired them and also found them just as tasty as they look.

    The other amazing thing is the price. For a handcrafted confection, I was surprised to see on their website that they were only $12.99 for a box of 12. Each marshmallow is about

    two

    one ounce and over two inches long.

    imageOne other item I have to mention is the lavender marshmallow. (I have a chocolate piece here much like the squares.) It’s available as a flower-shaped pop which must look as amazing in person as the eggs do.

    The marshmallow has a wonderful dark floral flavor of lavender (which reminds me a lot of rosemary). It balances the roasted notes of the chocolate and the sweet marshmallow so wonderfully, it’s like it’s holding hands with both of them. I’m now driven to distraction thinking about all the other floral/herbal flavors that could be infused into marshmallows: rosewater, orange blossom, lemongrass, bergamot, pistachio and even violet.

    Again, at $10.99 for 12 pops (less than a dollar each), they sound like an incredible deal and would make wonderful favors or party decorations.

    imageThe packaging isn’t as modern and chic as some other gourmet artisan folks, they’re simple foil-type boxes with either a similar lid or a clear plastic lid (like the one show at the top) with the company sticker on it. But hey, I don’t need fancy boxes if the candy is good and it does its job of keeping the candy fresh & whole. This was fresh, extremely well priced, attractive and for those seeking Kosher marshmallows, it’s just the ticket. 

    If you’re eager to order, there’s a random coupon deal right now if you click on the little logo at the bottom of the home page.

    Related Candies

    1. Elmer’s Toasted Marshmallow Eggs
    2. Little Flower Candy Co
    3. Peeps Monster Mash Ups
    4. Caramel Previews: Mitchell Sweets & Caramoos
    5. Idaho Spud
    6. The Saga of the Valomilk - Review
    Name: Chocolate Covered Marshmallows & Ukrainian and Modern Easter Marshmallow Eggs
      RATING:
    • 10 SUPERB
    • 9 YUMMY
    • 8 TASTY
    • 7 WORTH IT
    • 6 TEMPTING
    • 5 PLEASANT
    • 4 BENIGN
    • 3 UNAPPEALING
    • 2 APPALLING
    • 1 INEDIBLE
    Brand: Pete's Gourmet
    Place Purchased: samples from Pete's Gourmet
    Price: varies
    Size: varies
    Calories per ounce: varies
    Categories: Chocolate, White Chocolate, Marshmallow, United States, Kosher, Easter

    POSTED BY Cybele AT 12:06 pm Tracker Pixel for Entry    

    Comments
    1. bettyfelon's avatar

      those are gorgeous

      Comment by bettyfelon on 3/16/09 at 12:32 pm #
    2. They look pretty tasty, I love chocolate on my marshmallow, yum.

      Comment by jMo on 3/16/09 at 6:09 pm #
    3. I loathe marshmallow (unless they’re the crunchy dried kind found in my hot chocolate).  I want these, however, just for display.  They are gorgeous!

      Comment by Cat Skyfire on 3/17/09 at 4:00 am #
    4. Wow, those look amazing. I think I’ll order some. The drug store marshmallow eggs are starting to wear thin on me.

      Comment by Cocoazilla on 3/17/09 at 5:42 am #
    5. Pete’s is having an Easter egg hunt on their site where you can get discount codes up to 20% off. http://www.petesgourmet.com/eec1-ssavers.asp

      Comment by Cocoazilla on 3/17/09 at 5:58 am #
    6. These remind me of Schwarz’s Out Of This World Chocolate Marshmallows: http://www.schwartzcandies.com/schwartz-marshmallows.asp

      but at $2 per marshmallow, a bit pricey for me

      Comment by Charlie on 3/17/09 at 12:09 pm #
    7. I love these…they are so pretty.  Great gift idea for my clients!  I looked online and found a company that sells the most unique ribbon candy boxes.  http://www.boxandwrap.com/candy-boxes-ribbon.html

      Comment by Beth W. on 12/14/11 at 5:56 pm #
    8. I love marshmallow. I have a site about Brigadeiros Gourmet of Brazil, see: http://avidadoce.com/

      Comment by Gisele on 8/02/16 at 3:58 pm #
    9. They look pretty and delicious. I love chocolate!

      Comment by Carol on 11/04/16 at 12:00 pm #
    10. Everything with marshmallow looks wonderful, I love it. See my blog: http://docesgourmetizados.com.br

      Comment by Alessandra on 3/04/17 at 1:28 pm #
    Commenting is not available in this channel entry.

    Next entry: Ferrara Dark Chocolate Covered Biscotti

    Previous entry: Sugar Coated Fennel




     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    ABOUT

    FEEDS

    CONTACT

    • .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
    • Here are some frequently asked questions emailed to me you might want to read first.

    EMAIL DIGEST

      For a daily update of Candy Blog reviews, enter your email address:

      Delivered by FeedBurner

    CANDY RATINGS

    TYPE

    BRAND

    COUNTRY

    ARCHIVES

    Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.

     

     

     

     

    Facebook IconTwitter IconTumblr IconRSS Feed IconEmail Icon

    COUNTDOWN.

    Candy Season Ends

    -2537 days

    Read previous coverage

     

     

    Which seasonal candy selection do you prefer?

    Choose one or more:

    •   Halloween
    •   Christmas
    •   Valentine's Day
    •   Easter

     

    image

    ON DECK

    These candies will be reviewed shortly:

     

     

    image