The Art to Making a Perfect S'more

Simply defined a s'more is a melted marshmallow and a slab of chocolate sandwiched between two graham crackers. It's a campfire tradition and a great way to end a grilling day. But are all s'mores created equal? I've done a little experimenting and I think I have not only the perfect set of ingredients but also a few tips and techniques that help to build a true artisan s'more beyond compare.

A s'more requires three ingredients, no more, no less. You need marshmallows, milk chocolate, and graham crackers. You've seen the merchandising in the grocery and retail stores. They make a display of these three ingredients to make it easy for you to grab them and go. But are those the makings of a really good, melt in your mouth s'more? Let's begin with a dissection of each ingredient.

The marshmallow is by far the most important part of the s'more. This is what provides just a small amount of warmth to melt that chocolate and make the entire sandwich a sticky gooey mess of goodness. A good marshmallow is one that is fresh. Stale marshmallows don't roast well. A marshmallow when roasted puffs up and browns slowly. You want a marshmallow that will liquefy inside a thin crust of sugary skin without burning. I found my favorite never-fail marshmallow to be the store brand of P&C, the Food Club marshmallow. It may well be that this is a good marshmallow simply because it is always fresh. Since the store brand is cheaper and bought more often than other brands, the turnover for this product is high. So the store brand marshmallows never sit on the shelf. They are constantly brought in fresh unlike some of the more expensive brands. Squeeze your package of marshmallows to be sure they are soft and bounce back. If they don't, then move on.

The chocolate in the s'more provides a rich complex sweetness rather than the marshmallow's straight vanilla sugar. Good chocolate is imperative. Milk chocolate is more traditional than dark. Dark chocolate doesn't provide the creaminess of milk chocolate and that is essential to having the chocolate taste linger on your tongue after the s'more is consumed. So use milk chocolate.