Hi, could any one tell me what is mallow russe is. i have a sugarart book called fancy eggs, i was going to make some easter eggs with different recipes and in the book a recipe tells you to use mallow russe and i have no idea what it is, i have tried a search but nothing is coming up. many thanks oyster xx

Well mallow usually refers to the plant Althaea officinalis, also known as the marsh mallow, which were originally used to make the confection of the same name.
And "russe" is the French word for Russian.

This leads me to the conclusion that the book is referring to a Russian plant of the genus Althaea, but that's not neccessarily correct.

http://www.epicurus.com/food/cookbook/viewrecipe.php?id=6318 but I don't think this is what your recipe is looking for.

I saw a few posts too from a few years back, people looking for mallow russe to make modeling paste for sugar eggs and no one could tell them what it was. One person said that their cake decorating shop (in the UK) said it was an ingredient that used to be used a lot but couldn't be found anymore.

I'm guessing a modern gumpaste recipe would work.

What is the mallow russe used for? Is for a Cadbury Creme Egg style filling?

mallow russe is marshmallow fondant.

http://www.epicurus.com/food/cookbook/atoz/index.php?&page=7&letter=m

Hope that helps.

what is the recipe ?

Thankyou so much for answering my query about mallow russe i searched every where for imformation on it.
the recipe is - moulding paste (for making easter eggs)
225 g of mallow russe
20ml of skimmed milk
10ml of white vegatable fat
450gr of confectioners sugar
40ml of cornflour
15 ml of gum tragacanth
thankyou again Pearl x

Thanks so much for the link to the Mallow Russe recipe....:O))

I found a supplier that sells "Mather's White Mallow Russe". I do not know if this is the same thing you are looking for, but maybe you can contact them and ask them. HTH

http://www.andrewingredients.co.uk/products-info/242

Thanks so much for the link....looks like a great site...:O))

I am in Australia so it probably would be too expensive to order from Ireland but thanks anyway.

It's not marshmallow fondant, I'm pretty positive of that.

From what I've been able to find, mallow russe comes in a clear bag, looks something like leaf gelatine but its not just gelatine, there's another ingredient or more in it. You have to add warm water to it to dissolve it properly, but still, it can't be plain gelatine as gelatine is is so readily available.

I thought for sure I'd find info about it on the British s-u-g-a-r craft guild forum, but had no luck.

I also found the PPs link and the recipe that goes with. Here's what it says.

Mathers White Mallow Russe

Basic Recipe:
  
Dilute with 50g-100g water to every 450g MALLOW RUSSE, depending upon set required.

Heat to 60C, stirring occasionally until the MALLOW RUSSE has dissolved.

Transfer to grease-free machine bowl and whisk on top speed for twenty minutes until maximum volume is obtained. MALLOW RUSSE whips up to five times its original volume.
  
Pipe whilst still warm.

I also found a link to Lesley of Icinghouse in the UK.. (pretty cakes!)
No idea how long her offer has been up, but she has 100 gr packets of mallow russe for sale and a photo of the mallow russe. You have to contact her for International shipping costs before ordering though.

Lesley claims mallow russe is great for Flower paste, which again leads me to thinking mallow russe is mostly gelatine but not pure gelatine.

And....... If you do a search on mallow russe, you should find a link to a thread about candies from the old days. Jelly mallows was one of them.

It's quite the mysterious product. One link tells you to whip till full volume, then pipe with it. (your Easter eggs maybe?) The other link says to use it for great flower paste.

Info for ordering mallow russe & to contact Lesley is on the link, as well as her recipe for flower paste..


http://www.icinghouse.com/mallow_russe.htm

Interesting...thanks for all your research.

It looks different to what is described in the Epicurus link.

I'll take time to read your information carefully....thanks:O))

Hi i have used that mallow russe from icing house. it does look like gelatine and i have used it to make flowerpaste (gumpaste )and it is lovely to work with you can roll it out very thin ideal for flowers etc. but i am still confused with mallow russe what is it ? i made some flowerpaste with marshmallows included in the recipe and it is also nice to work with a little goes a long way , other ingredients where used aswell i thought mallow russe had something to do with marshmallows confused .i have no idea where i got the recipe from making the mallow russe firstly then adding other ingredients oyster .

it's a kind of gelatine from pith of the marshmallow plant (Althaea officinalis) - in the past the stem was peeled back to reveal the soft and spongy pith, which was boiled in sugar syrup and dried to produce a soft, chewy confection, flower paste made with MR dries out more slowly and can be frozen

Info from Icinghouse Marketplace:

Make Your Own Mallow Russe Flower Paste

This easy-to-make flower paste (gumpaste) has been a favourite of sugarcrafters for decades. I just love its smooth, elastic texture, and the fact that it can be rolled out really thinly. Moreover, it doesn't dry out too quickly, allowing more working time on the fine and fiddly parts of flowers, where attention to detail really matters. But in spite of its popularity, the principal ingredient, Mallow Russe, remains inexplicably difficult (if not impossible!) to get hold of from retail cake decorating outlets.

Simply follow the recipe below to make around 175g of beautifully flexible paste, perfect for making the most delicate sugar flowers, or combine Mallow Russe flower paste with an equal quantity of sugarpaste to create a versatile modelling medium.

White Mallow Russe
100g pack
(enough for 2 batches of the recipe below)

Please note: not suitable for vegetarians contains gelatine.

Recipe for Mallow Russe Flower Paste

A.  50g/2oz Mallow Russe
5ml/1 teaspoon Water
5ml/1 teaspoon White vegetable fat (shortening)


B.  100g/4oz  Icing (confectioners') sugar
10ml/1 dessertspoon Cornflour (cornstarch)
5ml/1 teaspoon CMC or Tylo Powder (Tylose, Tylopur)

Plus extra white vegetable fat for kneading, and extra cornflour as required.
Method

Microwave ingredients A until melted (about 30 seconds) or warm over a bowl of hot water until melted.

Sieve ingredients B twice into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and incorporate ingredients A. Rub your hands liberally with white fat, then pull and knead the paste until smooth. Add extra cornflour if it's sticky.

Wrap paste tightly in a plastic bag and place in an airtight container. Leave to mature overnight. It will feel quite hard when cool, but will soften when worked in small pieces.

This paste freezes well. Simply cut into portions, wrap each piece tightly in freezer film or plastic, place inside an airtight container, and freeze until required.

I am interested in making the 'fancy eggs' so do I take it I make the mallow russe from Epicurus and then add a portion of that to the other ingredients in the incing house recipe to make the egg?

gcc: I think if you do it with MMF and add that mysterious Mallow russe, MMF will be more pliable and stretchy. Otherwise do it only with MMF and it should be fine. As I understood from different sources Mallow russe (extract of the root of plant Althaea officinalis or Marsh Mallow) was used in the past with other ingredients to make prehistoric marshmallows - today they are made with corn syrup and gelatine without actually using plant extract.

It means - if these ancient marshmallows were melted in the microwawe and powdered sugar added, you would get a nice elastic genuine MMF

Annabakescakes

Thank you both for your comments...I will give it a try and see what happens

So is it like the "recipe" epicurus has given us? Just plain old marshmallow fondant? Or is it crystals or power or a gel? What color is it?[/quote]
what i have bought of icinghouse it is like i have said it does look like liquid gelatine in a bag, i would advise to purchase some and try it out the postage is very good from icing house .i think you will like it ,