Plain and Sakura Cat Paw Marshmallows

Put the sugar in the egg white, and beat well until it forms stiff peaks.

For the plain version: Add the gelatin to the water and microwave briefly to dissolve. For the pink version: Add the gelatin to the sakura syrup and microwave briefly.

Add the dissolved gelatin from Step 2 to the Step 1 meringue, and mix well. If your kitchen is cold, the mixture will set quickly, so if it starts to stiffen too fast, mix it over a bowl of hot water.

When the mixture is the consistency of soft whipped cream, put about 2/3 into a piping bag.

Add food coloring to the remaining third of the mixture, and put into another piping bag.

Line a tray with plastic wrap. Pipe out the Step 4 white mixture into circles over the plastic wrap, then pipe out smaller rounds onto the white ones with the colored Step 5 mixture so that they look like paws.

In the winter, the marshmallows will set in about 30 minutes. Once they have set, remove the plastic wrap, dust with cornstarch and they're done.