I'd like to make homemade marshmallow. Instead of using corn syrup, can I use maple syrup and enhance the flavor? Thanks!

i would replace 1/3 of the corn syrup with real maple syrup for flavor, anymore would probably be overwhelming. I might even go as far as using the fake stuff, as it is made almost entirely of corn syrup.

i'd like to substitute corn syrup for environmental reason as well. I want to steer away from HFCS and corn syrup as much as possible, I am inspired by Mark Bittman's new book, Food Matters (not like we didn't know how bad HFCS and corn syrup can be for us already).

I've subbed maple syrup for corn syrup in cookie icing and it was the best icing I ever made. But that's just a tablespoon, and probably not an essential ingredient. Maple syrup is usually runnier and more liquid than corn syrup--maybe reduce it a little first?

You can buy HFCS-free corn syrup, too. Try Whole Foods or health food shops.

Also, for what it's worth, HFCS corn syrup is bad but not terminal in a once-in-a-while treat. I think personally that the real issue with HFCS is that it's in everything now, even packaged dinners, sodas people consume by the liter, cereals and pasta sauces. If you're not eating any of that, but you put a little HFCS corn syrup in your marshmallows from time to time, it seems like a worthwhile tradeoff to me.

But that's just IMO - I understand if some want to cut it out completely.

Thanks everyone! Your info is really helpful. I will get on my Marshmallow DIY this afternoon and let you know the result!

david lebovitz had an interesting post recently about corn syrup. he doesn't think substitutes should be used in candy making, but has suggestions for substitutes in other cases.

I was going to mention Dave Leibovitz's article as well. Corn syrup from the grocery store is not the same as HFCS.

I would be careful with substituting the corn syrup with maple syrup as the texture is different and in my opinion, they are quite different ingredients.

After 3 days with a nasty stomach virus (you know it's bad when you can't even browse your favorite food and cooking blogs) I finally have my appetite back. Hooray! It happened in the nick of time as we are throwing a party this weekend to celebrate my beautiful little girl's first birthday.

Question, we will be having a pork carnitas/taco bar. How much pork shoulder should I plan on per person?

I accidentally bought "cook in 1 minute" oats instead of the old fashioned oats I love. Any recipe ideas for how I can use these up? Can I use them interchangeably with old fashioned oats in recipes?

@suzyblue,
Assuming the oats are rolled, baked items like cookies or muffins could help use them up.

@suzyblue, yes, you can use 1-minutes interchangeably with Old Fashioned in baked goods. The texture will be a little different, obviously, but it will work (I've accidently bought that box, too).

I made some salted caramels the other day, but for one reason or another they stayed slightly liquid instead of chewy and solid. It's more like a thick caramel sauce. I was wondering if I could make a frosting out of this? Any suggestions?

@rosebud What a good idea, I absolutely LOVE carnitas. I am not sure how much per person to plan on, but I made them awhile back and used a bone-in 4.5lb pork shoulder which fed probably 5 gals, 2 guys, and leftovers. The nice thing about pulled pork is you can make a ton and use the leftovers in a bunch of things. We had lots of sides, too.

@Michelle of Montreal
@cmcinnyc
Thanks! I made maple almond scones that taste amazing. Grinding up some of the oats in a food processor to make oat flour worked really well, so now I'm looking for oat flour recipes.

Here's the recipe (I added almonds, vanilla, and an extra tablespoon cinnamon). They're not very sweet, so they're great for breakfast with coffee. :)

http://eggsonsunday.wordpress.com/2008/03/08/whole-grain-maple-oatmeal-scones/

I improvised a soup tonight. Started with TJ's creamy tomato soup. Added a handful of anelletti pasta (or, as I think of them, spaghetti o's) and some parmesan cheese. Then, at the very end, I added a handful of baby spinach and let it wilt down. All told it took, oh, about 10 minutes. Viola! Instant (and tasty!) tomato florentine soup! I had it with some IKEA meatballs (mmm) for a really delicious dinner.

Thanks, folks at TheKitchn, for the inspiration to improvise when making soup!

cupcakekelly: I've made a brownie in one of those cake pans that have an indent. Then filled the indent w/peanuts, topped w/caramel, topped w/ganache. People really seem to like it. Maybe you could do something like that.

Was it really humid the day you made the caramels?

Has anyone in the Philadelphia area seen kumquats anywhere? My regular farmers market never has them. The only place I've ever seen them was at shop rite in roxborough but they were awful and I'm never out that way.

Thanks!