The moment that pimply teenager tears my ticket in half and hands me my stub, I start the internal debate: salty or sweet?
There are extenuating factors, of course, including time of day, how recently I've eaten, and if any of my companions are interested in sharing. If it's a one o'clock matinee and I haven't eaten lunch, I'm inclined to go straight for the popcorn. If it's a post-dinner movie, I'm reaching for the Sno-Caps.
But what if we didn't have to choose salty or sweet. What if our cravings for semi-sweet chocolate and the savory crunch of popcorn could be satisfied in one bite? Enter: this popcorn.
There's nothing magical about it. It's beyond simple to pop your own kernels, and the light coating of chocolate doesn't overwhelm the pieces of popcorn. The sprinkle of salt makes you plunge your hand back into the bowl before you even know what's happening.
I encourage smuggling this popcorn into the theater with you next time.
That's called having your popcorn and eating your chocolate too.
Salted Chocolate Popcorn
Ingredients
1/2 cup corn kernels
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Directions
Add vegetable oil to a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat.
Add three kernels to the oil. Once one kernel has popped, add the rest of the kernels and cover the pot.
Gently shake the pot to keep the kernels from burning, but leave the lid slightly ajar to keep the popcorn from getting chewy.
Continue shaking until most kernels have popped and you can't hear many shaking against the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and continue to shake - a few stragglers will pop. Set aside.
Melt chocolate over medium-low heat, preferably in a double boiler to prevent burning.
Pour chocolate over popcorn, stirring immediately to coat the flakes.
Spread popcorn out on wax paper and sprinkle with salt to taste. Let stand until chocolate sets.
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