Circus Caramel Corn With Smoked Almonds And Sea Salt Recipes

CINNAMON CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place popcorn in a large bowl. Melt butter in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Stir in sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon, food coloring, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Raise heat; bring to a boil (do not stir). Cook until syrup reaches 245 degrees to 250 degrees (firm-ball stage) on a candy thermometer, 2 to 4 minutes. Add caramel to popcorn; stir to coat.
• Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake until crisp, about 45 minutes, stirring twice. Remove from oven, and immediately sprinkle with remaining salt. Let cool, then break into clusters.

COCONUT CURRY CARAMEL CORN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Liberally spray an extra-large mixing bowl (not plastic) with olive oil spray.
• Spread the coconut on a baking sheet and toast it in the oven, stirring it once or twice, until it is golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool, leaving the oven on.
• Put the oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot, add the corn kernels and set over medium-high heat. Cover and shake the pot occasionally until the popping begins, about 5 minutes. Once the popping starts, shake the pot continuously until the popping slows down dramatically, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, but continue shaking it until the popping stops entirely. Dump the popcorn into the prepared mixing bowl, trying not to let any unpopped kernels fall into the bowl. Add the toasted coconut and the Candied Peanuts.
• Before beginning the caramel process, spray a rubber spatula, a wooden spoon and 2 cookie sheets liberally with olive oil spray.
• In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally with the oil-sprayed spatula, until the butter is melted. Continue cooking, stirring constantly and being careful not to splatter the hot caramel, until the mixture thickens and a candy thermometer registers 255 degrees F, about 7 minutes. (If you do not have a candy thermometer, you will know it is ready when the bubbles of the mixture get noticeably larger and slower.) Remove from the heat. Add the curry leaf if using, salt, baking soda, cumin seeds, black mustard seeds, turmeric, mace if using, paprika, cayenne if using and cinnamon. Stir quickly to incorporate, and then immediately pour the caramel over the popcorn mixture. Stir with the wooden spoon until all of the popcorn is well coated.
• Pour the mixture out onto the oiled cookie sheets and spread it out evenly. Bake for 1 hour, stirring it every 20 minutes to keep it from burning. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let the popcorn cool to room temperature. The popcorn will crisp as it cools.
• When it is cool, you can serve the popcorn immediately or package it in airtight bags for storage. It will keep well for 4 days.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine the peanuts, coconut milk, brown sugar, kaffir lime leaf, salt and reshampatti. Put the mixture in a nonstick saute pan and cook over high heat without stirring until the nuts have started to brown and toast, about 2 minutes. Then stir, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the peanuts have browned, about 5 minutes. (The nuts will brown evenly and the pan may smoke slightly from the coconut milk, but this is all okay if you are stirring continuously.)
• Transfer the mixture to a plate and set aside to cool. The nuts will still be somewhat moist at this point but will crisp as they cool.
• Once the nuts are cool, break them up. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

CHARDONNAY ICE CREAM WITH SMOKED SEA SALT

Steps:

• 1. Combine the cream, egg yolks, sugar, and pinch saffron in a medium saucepan over low heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. The sauce will start to thicken in about 15 minutes, but do not let it boil. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl set over ice. Add the milk, chardonnay, and white pepper; stir until cool.
• 2. Pour into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions until just set, about 25 minutes. Place in the freezer for 1 hour before serving.
• 3. Thinly slice the apple into thin batons and soak in a shallow bowl of chardonnay until ready to serve. Divide the ice cream among 4 bowls and garnish with the apple batons, a sprinkle of sea salt, and a few saffron threads.

SMOKED ALMOND CARAMELS

Steps:

• Spray a 12-count muffin pan, liberally, with vegetable oil cooking spray. Put the almonds in the bottom of each muffin cup and set aside.
• For the caramel: In a 3-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the cream, butter, sugar, and water. Stir over medium heat until the mixture is smooth. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 240 degrees F, about 5 to 7 minutes. Let the mixture cool for 30 seconds. Using a long-handled, metal spoon, carefully spoon the caramel over the nuts. Allow the caramel to harden, at room temperature, for 1 hour.
• Put the chocolate chips in a medium stainless steel or glass bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of barely simmering water and stir occasionally until the chocolate has melted, about 4 minutes. Spoon the chocolate over the caramel and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Using a thin-bladed spatula, remove the turtles from the pan (caramel will be hard). Let the turtles stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour (to allow the caramel to soften) before serving.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

CARAMEL CORN WITH SMOKED ALMONDS AND FLEUR DE SEL

Steps:

• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and grease generously with nonstick vegetable-oil spray. Generously spray a large bowl and all but the handle part of a large spoon or rubber spatula.
• In a large deep pot with a lid, combine the popcorn kernels, oil, and salt and stir to coat the kernels in oil. Place the pot over moderately high heat, cover with a lid, and cook, shaking the pot frequently to redistribute the kernels, until all the kernels have popped, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the popped popcorn to the large prepared bowl, discarding any unpopped kernels. DO AHEAD: The popcorn can be popped in advance and stored, in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days.
• In a large deep pot over moderately high heat, combine the corn syrup, sugar, and 1/4 cup water and stir to combine. Cook, undisturbed, until the mixture develops a light amber color, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat, add the baking soda and butter, and stir continuously to melt the butter and combine the ingredients, about 20 seconds. (The mixture will be very hot and will foam up at this point-continuous stirring will help the foaming subside.) Working quickly, pour the caramel over the popcorn and add the almonds, then use the prepared spoon or rubber spatula to stir everything together, trying to evenly coat the popcorn and nuts in caramel. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spreading out the caramel corn as much as possible. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and let cool and harden for about 20 minutes. Break the caramel corn into smaller, bite-size pieces and serve. DO AHEAD: Caramel corn can be prepared in advance and stored, in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 3 days.