Hot Chocolate and Vanilla Marshmallows

{ Vanilla marshmallows }
adapted from Ladurée Sucre cookbook

* Ingredients *
14g powdered gelatin
1 tbs vanilla extract
100ml water
350g caster sugar
50g glucose syrup
4 egg whites
75g icing sugar
75g potato starch

* Directions *
Line a 20cm cake tin with foil and set aside. In a small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin powder over 50ml of the water along with the vanilla extract. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Then over a low heat, mix until the gelatin has dissolved completely. In a separate saucepan, place the remaining water, 300g of the sugar and syrup. Bring mixture to 270F/130C. Whisk in the warmed liquid gelatin mixture into the sugar syrup. Separately, start to beat the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl. Once they are frothy, add the 50g of sugar. Once the cooked sugar is ready, add little by little into the egg white continuing to whip to obtain a meringue. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Allow to cool completely and harden overnight. The following day, prepare the icing sugar and potato starch for coating. Dust a little onto a work surface. Loosen the marshmallow from the tin and place on the prepared surface. Cut the marshmallow (a pizza cutter works well), into your desired size and shape. Roll the cut marshmallow into the remaining icing sugar and potato starch mixture.

{ Hot Chocolate }
from Ladurée Sucre cookbook

* Ingredients *
1 litre whole milk, cold
150ml water
100g caster sugar
235g bitter chocolate

* Directions *
In a saucepan, bring the milk, water and sugar to a boil. Chop the chocolate into small pieces. Remove saucepan from heat and whisk in the chopped chocolate. Whip hot chocolate with an immersion hand blender directly in saucepan (off heat).