Pour ½ cup [125 ml] pomegranate juice in the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large stainless steel bowl if using a hand mixer, and sprinkle the gelatin over. Let rest to allow the gelatin to absorb the liquid.

In the meantime, put the sugar and corn syrup in a saucepan and add just enough pomegranate juice to cover the sugar, about ¾ cup [180 ml] more. Stir thoroughly and brush down any sugar sticking to the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush (to prevent sugar crystals from forming when heating the mixture).

Cook over low heat until the sugar has dissolved, then turn up the heat to bring it to a boil. Using a candy thermometer to monitor the heat, boil the syrup until it reaches 265°F [130°C]. Once it does, take the pan off the heat and let it cool for 1 minute.

Start whisking the gelatin mixture on medium speed. Slowly pour the hot syrup down the side of the bowl, whisking continuously throughout the process. Don’t allow the stream of hot syrup to touch the whisk directly or it’ll create sugar crystals in the marshmallows.

Once you've incorporated all the syrup, you can add food coloring if the color of the marshmallow mixture isn’t as bright as you’d like it to be. Add a few drops at a time, whisking until you reach the shade you're looking for. Continue whisking until the mixture becomes really thick, like a stiff meringue. It’s ready when you see the whisk forming bubblegum-like strands on the surface.

Line the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 in [23 x 33 cm] baking pan with plastic wrap (use a smaller pan if you want thicker marshmallows), leaving plenty folding over the sides of the pan. Lightly grease with vegetable oil, then scrape the marshmallow mixture into the pan using a greased spatula. The mixture is super sticky, so you’ll have to fight it a little. Once it’s all in the pan, press it down using the spatula, then cover with another sheet of greased plastic wrap, and press down on the plastic wrap to create an even surface. Leave to set in the refrigerator for at least one to two hours, until the top feels firm when pressed.

Once the marshmallow is set, lift it off the tray using the extra plastic wrap. Peel off the plastic wrap and place the very sticky marshmallow on a lightly greased surface. Pour the cranberry powder in a shallow bowl. Cut the marshmallow into cubes using a lightly greased knife, then roll each piece in cranberry powder.

The finished marshmallows will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for up to two weeks.

Cranberry powder is a specialized gourmet product. A sprinkle of it adds a really nice flavor punch, and you can use it in many things such as desserts, salads, lattes, or even sprinkled over salmon tartares and gravlax. You can also dissolve it in hot water to make a delicious hot beverage. It’s not a cheap ingredient, but a little goes a long way, and it has a long shelf life. I use the one made by a Québec City company, Nutra-Fruit (they have an online store). You’ll find a similar product here. If you can’t find cranberry powder, you can also use pomegranate powder, pulverized freeze-dried raspberries, or just plain cornstarch, which is the usual and basic marshmallow coating.