Banana Marshmallow

To begin making homemade banana marshmallow, squeeze about 1 tablespoon of juice from a lemon, pour it into a small container, and set it aside.

Next, mash the ripe bananas into a smooth puree. An immersion blender or similar appliance is ideal for this. If you don't have a blender, you can use a fork. You can also use ready-made baby banana puree, but make sure it's not too runny.

Immediately add fresh lemon juice to the mashed bananas to prevent them from browning. This will also give the marshmallow a pleasant tartness that perfectly balances the sweetness.

Transfer the puree and juice into a saucepan or pot with a thick bottom. Add 160g of sugar from the total amount, agar-agar (strength 900), and water. Optionally, you can add ground cinnamon. Mix well and set aside for now.

Carefully separate the egg whites from the yolks beforehand. The yolks can be refrigerated for other dishes. Ensure that not a single drop of yolk gets into the whites. Transfer the egg whites to a dry, clean, and grease-free mixer bowl.

Place the saucepan with the banana mixture over medium heat. While the mixture is coming to a boil, begin whisking the egg whites with a mixer on high speed.

Once the egg whites form a fluffy foam (this will happen very quickly), gradually add the remaining sugar and vanilla sugar in several batches, continuing to whisk.

Once the syrup with banana puree, sugar, and agar comes to a boil, stir it and cook for exactly 3 minutes over medium heat. Be careful, the syrup will bubble vigorously.

During this time, the egg mixture should be thoroughly whipped. Once the egg whites become firm, hold their shape, and begin to pull away slightly from the sides of the bowl, add the citric acid and continue whipping for a short while longer.

After three minutes, slowly and carefully pour the hot banana syrup in a thin stream along the side of the bowl into the whipped egg whites, continuing to beat on low speed.

At this stage, if you wish to achieve brightly colored marshmallows, you can add gel food coloring. For banana marshmallows, yellow shades would be a good choice. Instead of artificial coloring, you could use turmeric, pumpkin powder, or mango powder, but be aware that these will impart a subtle flavor.

After adding the syrup, whisk the mixture for another 1-1.5 minutes, no longer. It's important not to overdo it, as agar-agar begins to stabilize at 40 ºC, and if the mixture cools too much, it will be difficult to pipe out nice marshmallows.

Prepare a large pastry bag (about 30–40 cm) with a large "Star" tip in advance and fill it with the marshmallow mixture. Close the open end of the bag with a clip to prevent the mixture from leaking out during use.

Quickly pipe the marshmallow halves onto a baking sheet lined with a silicone/Teflon mat or parchment paper. Try to make them all the same size. Place the baking sheet in a safe place (away from children and pets) for at least two hours to stabilize.

Now it's time to assemble the marshmallows. In a separate bowl, combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch (it's more neutral). Sift this mixture into a deep bowl.

Dust the marshmallow halves with the powdered sugar and starch mixture using a sieve. Carefully peel the halves off the parchment paper and join them in pairs, sticky sides together.

Once the halves are firmly joined, additionally roll the finished marshmallow in a mixture of powdered sugar and starch. Place it directly into a bowl with the dry ingredients so that it can freely "bathe" in the sweet coating.