Like many a red-blooded American girl, my passion for s’mores knew no bounds during the campfire days. A few years ago, I decided to revisit those memories by inviting an international group of friends to join me for an evening of the
gooey treat. The result? The Brits were polite. The Italians tried not to laugh. The Croatians took a bite, shrugged, and kept drinking. Another nail in the coffin of America’s reputation, I thought glumly, and resigned myself to the fact that s’mores, like many childhood joys, just weren’t meant for the adult world.
Luckily for me, food editor Lillian Chou disagreed. The moment I heard she was concocting this pie for the November 2006 issue, I alerted my international panel of skeptics, and this time, seated around my Thanksgiving table, they immediately understood what all the fuss was about. The trinity of graham cracker, chocolate, and marshmallow was so elegant—not to mention addictive—that few of us stopped short of third helpings. And preparing the marshmallow topping over a very hot flame, then browning it under the broiler, is every bit as fun as burning your fingers over a campfire. Well, almost. —Marisa Robertson-Textor, Research Chief
