S'mores

A s'more is a toasted marshmallow and a square of chocolate pressed between two graham crackers until the heat of the marshmallow softens the chocolate. The recipe first appeared in print in a 1927 Girl Scout guidebook, as a treat meant to be made over a campfire, and the name is short for "some more" — what everyone reliably asks for after the first one.

What it really is

A marshmallow toasts over an open flame or hot coals on the end of a stick or skewer until the outside turns golden-brown and blistered while the inside turns molten. It comes off the stick straight onto a square of chocolate laid on a graham cracker, and a second cracker presses down on top — the marshmallow's residual heat is what melts the chocolate, no extra cooking involved. The whole thing eats immediately, while the marshmallow is still soft and the chocolate still giving.

The toasting matters more than any of the ingredients. A marshmallow melted in a microwave or simply softened without real heat and char misses the point entirely; the campfire toast — and the choice between a light golden marshmallow and one charred black — is most of what makes the dish what it is.

How it's served

• Freshly assembled, eaten immediately while warm.
• Built to order at the table if a fire pit or tabletop burner is available.
• As a snack or shared dessert, rarely plated formally.

How to write it on the menu

• Flag the wheat in the graham cracker and the dairy in the chocolate.
• Say if the toasting happens tableside, since that's most of the appeal for guests ordering it as an experience.
• Note if a flavoured chocolate or filled marshmallow is used instead of the plain classic.