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**RECIPE, MAKES FOUR PORTIONS**

For the marshmallows

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup honey (or corn syrup, if you don't want honey flavor)
1/4 oz packet unflavored gelatin (or two teaspoons agar powder)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
water
powdered sugar
nonstick spray (or oil)

For the hot chocolate

3 cups whole milk
1/4 -1 cup sugar
3.5 oz dark chocolate bar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1 teaspoon cornstarch slurry (optional)

Start the marshmallows the night before.

Spray or oil up the inside of a small loaf pan. Scoop in a heap of powdered sugar and thoroughly coat the interior of the pan with sugar. Knock out the excess.

Mix the gelatin with 1/4 cup of water in a heat-proof mixing bowl. Get an electric hand mixer ready, and have your loaf pan at hand.

Put the sugar, honey and 1/4 cup of water in a small saucepan and put it on high heat. Shake the pan to combine the ingredients once they get hot (and therefore less viscous). Boil the mixture until it reaches 240 F (115 C), then carefully pour it into the gelatin while beating with the hand mixer.

Beat the marshmallow until it's white and fluffy, and just barely cool enough that you can touch it. Beat in the vanilla extract, then quickly pour the marshmallow into the loaf pan before it sets.

If you want, brûlée the surface of the marshmallow with a kitchen torch.

Put the pan into the fridge uncovered until the marshmallow is very firm — a few hours, or overnight.

Dust a cutting board heavily with powdered sugar, and dust your hand. Peel the marshmallow sheet out of the pan and lay it into the sugar. Grease up a knife and coat it in sugar before cutting the sheet into long strips, about as wide as the sheet is tall. Toss all of the resulting strips in sugar, then line them up and cut them into cubes. Pull all the cubes apart and toss them in the sugar.

To make the hot chocolate, put three cups of milk and at least 1/4 cup of sugar (you can add more to taste later) in a small saucepan on medium heat. Break the chocolate bar into small chunks directly into the milk, then immediately start whisking until the mixture is homogenous. Taste, then add additional sugar, if desired.

Add the optional cornstarch to stabilize the mixture and give it a smoother texture. Make sure the mixture is hot enough to gelatinize the starch – approaching a simmer. Add the vanilla, if you're into that.

Take it off the heat as soon as it's done.