FOOD / 11
i love going to the movies. partly cause it’s a great escape, but mostly cause they gots popcorn there. if you’re like me, you have some kind of a popcorn ritual. mine involves a kid’s pack: popcorn spilled in a open cardboard container, m & m’s poured over the top, a touch of butter and salt, toss, eat.
the thing is, i like to watch movies at home, and yet when i do that . . . no popcorn. well, my friends, things are about to change. big time!
in all my years of popcorn loving, i’ve never properly popped the corn. i mean i’ve done the microwave thing, the jiffy pop thing and even had a brief fling with an air popper in college (sounds dirty, but i was just on a diet). let me tell you something. the proper way is easy, and fun, and delicious.
so here we go.
what you’ll need:
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 6 sprigs of fresh rosemary (in the neighborhood of 5 inches each)
• 1 cup of popcorn (this yields a fair bit of popcorn, so invite friends)
• 100 g dark chocolate (it’s candy bar size) coarsely chopped
• 2 oz unsalted butter
• salt (as much or as little as you want)
what to do:
• pop the olive oil and 5 sprigs of the rosemary into a small saucepan on medium/low heat, then cover and let simmer for 5 minutes.
• once that’s done, remove the rosemary from the oil (tongs help) and place the sprigs on a paper towel to drain.
• in the meantime get a much bigger saucepan ( i dare to call it a pot ) and transfer the oil, then add the popcorn.
• mix the oil and popcorn together with a spatula, then cover, heat on medium, and then we wait.
while you’re waiting:
• on low heat, melt the butter with the remaining sprig of rosemary in a small saucepan (the very same saucepan that you used for the oil).
note: once it’s melted, remove the rosemary
also:
• take the rosemary from the first batch, and remove all of the now crispy leaves.
coarsely chop’em
• then chop that chocolate while you’re at it.
• by now, your popcorn should be popping.
• about 3 minutes in give the pot a little shake (and whatever you do, don’t open the lid. YIKES).
• you’ll know it’s ready when the popping sound gets muffled and is more sporadic (one every 4ish seconds)
then:
• transfer to a large bowl.
• toss in the chopped rosemary, salt and chocolate.
• pour butter over the top and maybe a bit more salt – that part is totally up to you.
*side note: my husband’s friend tried this and loved it, but said the chocolate should be grated and not chopped. on one hand i agreed (cause i’m pretty darn agreeable) and other the other hand i told him, “absolutely not!” why? cause if i don’t add chopped chocolate it won’t melt all over the popcorn, get on my hands and create a delicious mess. i like licking chocolate off my fingers, but if you don’t, you know what to do.
{ column + photos by jen gotch, design by bri }
Oh gosh. This sounds heavenly. Looooove y’alls food posts.
Oh my gawd. Seriously?! I’ve never made popcorn in a pan, I’ve always opted for the air popped variety, but wow. You have blown my mind with this concoction. Must try stat. I’m a big fan of white chocolate sprinkled in too.
this sounds incredible!
fAB-O! the husband and i will be trying this over the weekend fo sho….
This blowing my mind.
Considering my popcorn addiction, this sounds AMAZING. Rosemary?? dying. Just wondering– have you had any issues w/ using olive oil? I know it doesn’t handle heat as well as other oils..
hey kate. no issue with the olive oil. just make sure it’s on med/low heat.
Yum yum yum…beautiful design too!
Yum! PS. Spotted this + felt it had your name written all over it: http://bit.ly/qinQFs.
jess! i totally love that dress, pinned that baby the other day!!!
Ah, I knew it! 😉
This sounds like magic for your mouth! Yum will def be trying this soon!
Wow, Bri and Jen! This looks sooo delicious! Making asap.
HOLY MOLY that sounds tasty. Bookmarked!
This sounds so ridiculously amazing! I am running to my kitchen to make it now. Jen…you are a food goddess. Love the posts and how deliciously simple and satisfying they all are!
curry + maple syrup, another delicious combination!
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