Always a source of new ideas for our blog, Emily from Paper Cake Scissors is back with another guest post. Last time, she brought us into the wonderful world of cocktails. This time, she writes our first post on fine snacks.
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Snack time!
The power of snacks is underestimated. I have a strong belief that tiny meals throughout the day are crucial; check any of my bags and you’ll find little stashes of nuts or granola bars. I have been called a squirrel before – and that doesn’t upset me in the least. Since I spend much of the week at a desk away from home, I love the weekends when I can make anything I want during the day. Recently, my favorite munchie has been popcorn, evoking childhood memories of my mom popping corn in a hot air popper before she and my dad went out and left my brother and I with a babysitter. The machine even had a special little metal compartment on top to melt butter (this was before olive oil was the fat de rigueur).
For some time, it never occurred to me to try making popcorn that wasn’t in a plastic-wrapped microwaveable bag. Then, my mom told me that she had been popping corn in a big stockpot with a lid on and a light coating of oil on the bottom. This was a good method except for the burning—once the corn got going, it needed constant shaking. And once everything was done, the pot needed to be washed. That’s when I heard about another method; making your own microwave popcorn. This is my new tried-and-true with almost zero clean-up, which makes me quite happy.
You’ll need some plain popcorn to start. I buy mine at the co-op in bulk, but I’ve also had the amazing purple corn from Rancho Gordo (pops up with tiny kernels and nary a trace of the hard-to-chew hull) or local corn from my CSA when they have it available, but it’s also available in the grocery store under the Orville Redenbacher brand. Shake out about ¼ c. of raw corn into a plain brown lunch bag. Fold the top under once and place in the microwave. Use your regular popcorn setting and listen carefully at the end to make sure it’s not finished popping before the time is over—you don’t want to burn it. When the corn is popped, add a couple of dashes of good olive oil, a few pinches of sea salt, a couple grinds of pepper (Tellicherry, of course!) and close the bag and shake. For the coupe-de-grace, add a few drops of truffle oil and some finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano. Shake again and empty into your nicest snack bowl– truffled popcorn deserves only the best.
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Truffle Recipes
Cheese Recipes