SALTED CARAMEL POPCORN
This shows that there’s no food that can’t be given a bit of a makeover. Popcorn’s become a part of our Friday movie night routine at home and the children have got older they’ve developed a taste for the slightly more grown-up flavour of salted caramel.
Servings
4
Servings
4
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Cook the corn according to the packet instructions. Discard any kernels that have not opened and set the rest aside.
  2. Place the empty popcorn pan over a medium heat and add the sugar and salt. Heat until the mixture caramelises, swirling the pan rather than stirring, until the caramel is a mid-golden colour. Stir in the butter and cook gently for a further 30 seconds.
  3. Lower the heat and carefully add the bicarbonate of soda: the mixture will bubble up. Stir until combined, then immediately remove from the heat, add the cooked popcorn and stir until it is well coated.
  4. Tip the popcorn on to a greased baking tray and leave at room temperature to harden. Do not put the mixture in the fridge or it will become sticky. Once cooled and crisp, break any large chunks into small pieces and store in an airtight container.
MAKING CARAMEL
  1. If you are not confident about making caramel, you may find it easier to avoid using a non-stick pan as the black coating makes it harder to see the colour of the caramel changing (you are looking for a rich copper colour). If you do burn caramel, you have to start again. There is no way of disguising the bitter taste.