I hate to tear you away from the mass produced tri-flavor popcorn tin, but there\u2019s an even more delightful popcorn that\u2019s perfect for cozying up with on the couch. It\u2019s your own homemade holiday-spiced popcorn, and it pairs uncommonly well with hot chocolate and marshmallows. This recipe uses common pantry spices and if you\u2019ve ever baked a pumpkin pie, I\u2019m guessing you have them already. Grab the nearest two-quart pot, and let\u2019s get poppin\u2019.<\/p>\n
Unlike my strong feelings for great coffee, I\u2019m not a popcorn snob in the slightest. I like it all\u2014pre-bagged, microwaved, air-popped, or kettle. Recently, despite distinct memories of disliking this method, I\u2019ve returned to the classic stove-top pop. I don\u2019t know what drove me away because I\u2019m quite enjoying myself. Not only does the ruckus of exploding kernels bring a smile to my face every time, but there\u2019s more freedom with flavoring. You can add hot or savory sauces<\/u><\/a> to your drizzling butter, after the popcorn finishes popping, or you can flavor the actual fat you use to heat up the kernels. That\u2019s exactly what we\u2019re doing with this recipe.<\/p>\n Before you add the unpopped kernels to the fat in the pot, add spices first to infuse it. This is a technique commonly used in Indian cuisine called tadka (also called tarka, chhonk, baghaar, and other names depending on the region, or referred to as tempering spices). You add whole or ground spices to oil, or ghee, and allow it to heat up and \u201cbloom.\u201d This can mellow overpowering notes in the raw spices, and the flavors of the toasted spices infuse the oil. If you\u2019re using whole spices, the large pieces can be removed to leave behind a subtle, aromatic fat. Ground spices remain dispersed in the infused oil making for a robust dish, and in this case, popcorn.\u00a0<\/p>\n To make a bowl of holiday cheer, add the fats to a medium-to-large pot over low heat. You\u2019ll see in the recipe I use both butter and cooking oil. I like the flavor of butter more than just straight oil, but adding a splash of canola oil raises the smoke point so my butter doesn\u2019t burn. Alternatively, you could also use ghee which has a higher smoke point than butter. Add salt, and all of the other spices. Swirl the pot to moisten all of the spices and allow them to cook over medium-low heat for 20 seconds to 1 minute depending on how hot the oil has become. You\u2019ll notice the smells of the spices become quite fragrant, and the butter might start to foam.<\/p>\n Dump the unpopped kernels into the pot all at once. Cover the pot and give it a shake so all of the kernels get coated in oil. Extra points if you get the spiced oil up on the inside of the lid. Then crank the heat up to medium. The oil has already heated up so the popcorn should start to pop within a minute. Shake the pot occasionally as the kernels pop, just to make sure the spiced fat is coating the kernels. Crack the lid when the pot is at rest to let steam escape. Take the pot off the heat once the popcorn has significantly slowed and the pot is nearly full of spice-coated popcorn. Pour the popcorn into a bowl.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re using ground spices like in the recipe, it\u2019s best to crank up the heat when you add the popcorn, and pop the kernels as quickly as possible to reduce scorching of any spices that stick to the bottom of the pot. When I poured my popcorn out, the last five or six popcorn pieces on the bottom had some overly toasted spice areas. Any spices that did scorch actually clung to the pot instead of to the corn.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you want to avoid scorched spices (it didn’t bother me), then I suggest infusing the oil with the same method but using whole spices instead (like broken cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and cardamom pods). Then remove the spices and you\u2019ll be left with an aromatic fat to cook the popcorn, or save it as a drizzle post-popping. The flavor won\u2019t be as robust, but it\u2019ll be wonderfully fragrant. My popcorn turned out incredibly flavorful, buttery, and perfectly salted. My whole apartment still smells like toasted gingerbread cookies and warm holiday spices even hours later.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ingredients:<\/p>\n 1 \u00bd tablespoons butter<\/p>\n<\/li>\n 1 tablespoon canola oil<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u00bd teaspoon ground cinnamon<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u00bc teaspoon ground nutmeg<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u00bc teaspoon ground cloves <\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u00bc teaspoon ground allspice<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u00bd teaspoon salt<\/p>\n<\/li>\n \u00bc cup un-popped popcorn kernels<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Heat the butter, oil, salt, and spices for about 1 minute over medium-low heat to infuse the oil. It will get foamy and you\u2019ll notice the fragrance become rather strong. Add the popcorn kernels, cover the pot and turn the heat up to medium. Shake the pot to coat the kernels with the infused fats. Once the popcorn begins popping, shake the pot occasionally to coat the popped popcorn with more seasoned fat. Take the popcorn off the heat when the popping slows down to one pop every three to five seconds. Pour it into a bowl and enjoy immediately.<\/p>\n
I hate to tear you away from the mass produced tri-flavor popcorn tin, but there\u2019s an even more delightful popcorn that\u2019s perfect for cozying up with on the couch. It\u2019s your own homemade holiday-spiced popcorn, and it pairs uncommonly well … Continue reading How to infuse cooking oil with flavor<\/h2>\n
How to make holiday-spiced popcorn<\/h2>\n
Holiday-spiced Popcorn Recipe<\/h2>\n
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\nSource: LifeHacker – Spice-infused Oil Is the Key to This Festive Popcorn<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"