Deconstructed S'More

Who knew how easy it was to make marshmallows? I remember watching Ina do it once, so I hunted down her recipe and added my own Girl Scout flair.

Homemade Graham Cracker Coated Marshmallows
3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
2 packages of Graham Crackers, crushed into fine crumbs (or Confectioners' sugar for dusting if you're going traditional)

Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.

Line a glass 8x12 pan with parchment or wax paper to allow for easy removal. Sprinkle one half of the crushed graham crumbs on the bottom.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Pour the marshmallow batter into the glass pan on top of the cracker crumbs and smooth the top of the mixture with damp hands. Sprinkle on the rest of the crumbs. Allow to dry uncovered at room temperature overnight. I have yet to figure out how to get the crumbs from going soft, but the flavor is still awesome.

Remove the marshmallows from the pan and cut into squares. Roll the sides of each piece carefully in the crumbs left on the bottom of the pan. Store uncovered at room temperature.

Drinking Chocolate
Okay, this is going to be tricky as I have no idea what I did. I broke up and used half of a Cost Plus 82% dark chocolate bar; 2 Scharffen Berger semisweet bars (2 oz. each); and half of a TJ's milk chocolate bar. I think I had a total of 8 oz of chocolate but you could easily grab a 12 oz bag of semisweet morsels (the good stuff - no Hershey's please) and go to town. I had this over low heat and once it began to melt, I began adding 2% milk very slowly, stirring thoroughly between additions. I'd guess that I added around two cups of milk. Be careful here - as Quinn learned, it's really easy to break a ganache if you're not careful, and with the first few additions of milk this is really just ganache with milk instead of cream. I added a dash of cinnamon and a tsp or so of vanilla extract, stirred well and poured into small sake cups to serve alongside a few of the marshmallows. Taste it along the way before you serve it; you'll know when you like it.
** Update **
And the salt! I forgot about the pinch of sea salt.