By Roni Caryn Rabin
I never was a Girl Scout, so I came late to s’mores. I was already a teenager when I squished my first blackened marshmallow between graham crackers and chocolate after awkwardly thrusting a skewer amid the glowing embers.
Since no one had schooled me in the finer points of smelting a s’more, like rotating the marshmallow to an even shade of toasty brown or letting the molten blob rest on the chocolate for a moment, my first s’more was incinerated and gloppy, hard bits of Hershey bar lacquered with gummy ash. I couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about.
I eventually gave s’mores another chance for the sake of my grade-schooler, after friends invited us for a weekend in the country. We stood around a proper bonfire, carefully turning marshmallows above, not in, the flames, hungrily watching the exteriors turn from golden, to brown, to lightly stippled with black but not at all burned.
Flattened between graham crackers and thin slabs of milk chocolate, the marshmallows oozed lushly onto their fudgy beds. I finally understood why the Girl Scouts named this treat “Some More” when they published the already popular recipe in their 1927 book, “Tramping and Trailing With the Girl Scouts” — though not without a warning. “Though it tastes like ‘some more,’” the guide admonishes, “one is really enough.”
The highly addictive combination of gooey marshmallows, chocolate and crackers has endured for a century. For those of us without access to a bonfire, s’mores are ridiculously easy to make under the broiler in five minutes flat.
All you do is lay the graham crackers on a baking sheet, top with squares of a broken-up chocolate bar and some marshmallows, and broil until the tops are as browned as you like, with or without that speckling of black. Then cover each one with another graham cracker, smashing the marshmallows until their white lava glues everything together. They’re a perfect “there’s nothing in the house for dessert” dessert. If you don’t have graham crackers, Saltines or Ritz crackers work just as well, if not even better, since their crisp, airy saltiness contrasts with, rather than bolsters, the sweetness of the goo.
The s’more has continued to evolve, of course, with its classic elements reconfigured into cookies, cakes and the inevitable martini. But, to me, its most thrilling permutation has been a fluffy bittersweet tart. So, I created my own version to pit against simple oven s’mores for my YouTube series, “Shortcut vs. Showstopper.”
At its foundation, this tart has a deeply buttery, homemade graham cracker crust, far richer and more tender than the store-bought cookies. After baking, I fill it with a puddinglike ganache that’s firm enough to slice but still supple, barely holding its shape. Then on top, I singe a swirl of frothy meringue ever so delicately with a blow torch.
While both s’more variations are sweetly satisfying, the tart lived up to the showstopping concept; it’s a knockout. It does take several hours to make, but you can spread the work over a couple of days, and none of the steps are hard.
S’mores tart
This stunning dessert takes the elements of s’mores — marshmallows, graham crackers and melty chocolate — and recombines them in an elegant way. A billowing meringue singed with a blowtorch replaces the toasted marshmallows, a homemade graham cracker crust replaces the cookies and a soft, bittersweet ganache stands in for the usual melted chocolate bar. It does take time and effort, but you can do it over the course of a couple of days. The spectacular results are well worth it.
Yield: 1 (9-inch) tart (8 servings)
Total time: 4 hours, 40 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Graham Cracker Crust:
1 cup/125 grams all-purpose flour, more for surfaces
1/4 cup/30 grams whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup/113 grams unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons honey
For the Ganache:
1 cup/237 milliliters heavy cream
12 ounces/340 grams bittersweet chocolate (preferably 68% to 74%), chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Pinch of fine sea salt
For the Marshmallow Filling:
6 egg whites
1 1/4 cups/250 grams granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and seeds scraped out with a small knife
Preparation:
1. Prepare the tart crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together both flours, salt and cinnamon.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle (or using electric beaters), cream the butter, both sugars and honey on medium speed until combined, about 2 minutes. Add the flour mixture and combine on medium-low, scraping bowl as needed, 1 to 3 minutes.
3. Form the dough into a disk and wrap in parchment or plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
4. When ready to bake the crust, heat oven to 325 degrees.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-inch circle. (It’s OK if the dough breaks a bit, you can easily squish it back together.) Use the rolling pin to transfer dough to a 9-inch tart pan, pressing dough up against the sides. Use any leftover dough to patch holes and to build up the sides for extra stability. Cover with foil or parchment paper and pie weights (or rice or dried beans). Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the crust’s edges are golden brown and the crust is firm. Remove weights and foil or parchment paper, and let cool completely.
6. While crust cools, make the ganache: Pour the heavy cream into a small pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat, being careful not to let the cream boil. Place the chocolate, butter and salt in a heatproof medium bowl. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Whisk together the cream and chocolate until glossy and smooth. (If the chocolate doesn’t fully melt, microwave the bowl for 15 to 20 seconds and whisk again until it does.)
7. Pour the chocolate mixture into the cooled crust and spread into an even layer. Place tart in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours to firm up the ganache.
8. Prepare the marshmallow filling: Fill a medium pot with an inch or two of water and bring to a simmer. Place the bowl of a standing mixer (or a large metal bowl) firmly and snugly on top of the simmering water (you want the bottom of the bowl to be suspended over the water).
9. Add the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar to the bowl, and whisk continuously until the mixture becomes white (no longer opaque) and registers 175 degrees on a thermometer. (Use a potholder to steady the bowl, which can get quite hot.) This may take up to 10 minutes. If the temperature isn’t rising, increase the heat under the pot.
10. When the whites are opaque, place the bowl in the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or use electric beaters). Add vanilla seeds to the egg white mixture. Beat for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the whites have reached stiff peaks (the whites will be shiny and glossy, and will remain on the whisk or beaters when turned upside down).
11. Pile the marshmallow fluff on top of the tart. Use a knife or spoon to decoratively swirl the meringue. Using a blowtorch, singe the top until golden brown.
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