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These Lemon Marshmallow Bites are designed as complete, composed small bites—clean, balanced, and sharply textural. A buttery vanilla sablé forms the base, supporting an airy lemon‑vanilla marshmallow whose brightness is anchored by a subtle acidic snap. Salty crumble introduces contrast, while a crunchy caramel praliné made with Gold Chocolate adds roasted depth and warmth. A vivid lemon gel finishes the bite with focus and lift. Chef Russ Thayer says, “I love building small bites that feel complete… Clean, balanced, and texturally sharp—exactly how I like to build flavor.” Together, the components deliver clarity in flavor, strong visual appeal, and a format ideal for retail, service, and make‑ahead applications.

Level:: Difficult
Shelf life:: 1 week
Conservation:: Store in cool, dry, and dark place, ideally between 60-70°F (16-21°C)

100 g

Powdered sugar
40 g

vanilla sugar
35 g

almond flour
470 g

all-purpose flour
3 g

Vanilla bean scrapings
1 g

vanilla powder
260 g

Butter
100 g

eggs
5 g

vanilla extract

Place all the dry ingredients in the food processor and blend together.
Add in the soft butter and blend until achieving a sandy texture.
Add in the the eggs and vanilla extract just until a dough is formed. Do not overmix.
Sheet to 4mm between two silpats and freeze.
Cut 5cm fluted circles.
Bake at 160°C until golden brown, typically around 20 minutes.
Cool completely before use.

18 g

gelatin powder (200 Bloom)
108 g

cold water
250 g

sugar
80 g

lemon juice
75 g

invert sugar
1 g

vanilla bean
5 g

lemon zest
110 g

invert sugar

Bloom the gelatin in the water.
Cook the sugar, lemon juice, invert sugar and vanilla bean to 110°C.
Remove from the heat and add the lemon zest to the syrup and infuse for 1 minute.
Strain the syrup over the second quantity of invert sugar, the bloomed gelatin and the citric acid solution.
Whip to ~30°C and pipe onto the vanilla sablée cookies.

100 g

butter
125 g

demerara sugar
125 g

all-purpose flour
3 g

Fine sea salt

Mix everything together in the food processor until a crumbly texture is formed.
Spread onto a tray and bake at 160°C until golden brown, tossing from time to time to ensure even cooking.
Cool and reserve until needed.

370 g

Callebaut Chocolate - Gold 30.4% - callets - 2.5kg
370 g

Cacao Barry Praliné - 50% Almonds Hazelnuts - paste - 1kg bucket
46 g

Salty crumble
93 g

clarified butter
25 g

Neutral Oil
46 g

Salty crumble
5 g

Fine sea salt
46 g

Caramelized brown sugar bits

Caramelize the chocolate in the oven at 120°C for 30 minutes, turning once or twice to promote an even caramelization.
Blend the praliné and first quantity of crumble together into a paste in the food processor.
Add in the clarified butter and the caramelized chocolate and blend until as smooth as possible.
Pre-crystallize the mixture to 23°C, then fold in the remaining crumble, salt and caramelized brown sugar bits.
Deposit into molds and freeze.
Once frozen, spray with caramel colored cocoa butter.
Keep frozen until needed for assembly.

200 g

lemon juice
50 g

invert sugar
16 g

Ultratex

Combine the lemon juice and invert sugar and blend until the invert sugar dissolves into the lemon juice.
Blend the ultratex into the liquid at high speed until incorporated.
Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes, then blend again.
Transfer into a piping bottle or a paper cornet and use as needed to garnish the bouchées.