And the Oscar Goes to…Coconut Curry Popcorn

Feb 25, 2012 By Love & Flour in Snacks No Comments Tags: coconut, gifts, popcorn, spice

It’s Saturday afternoon, and though I baked today, I feel a bit drained after pouring my heart into some birthday posts you have already seen and are about to see in the coming days. Couple that feeling with an outdoor temperature that is a good 25 degrees cooler today than it was yesterday, and all I really want to do as the day winds down is snuggle in on the couch and watch a movie. And where there is a movie, there must be popcorn.

I’m a pretty traditional popcorn eater. A pat of melted butter and a couple of shakes of salt please me, but when I want to amp up the flavor, I turn to a recipe for Coconut Curry Popcorn Seasoning. The blend offers a little sweet – in the form of coconut and sugar – and a little heat – in the form of curry and cayenne pepper. Add those ingredients to some ginger, cinnamon, and garlic powder, and you have a wonderful combination of flavors waiting to meet your popcorn.

If you have plans that will lure you out of the house instead of on to the couch tonight, perhaps you can enjoy some Coconut Curry Popcorn tomorrow evening during the Oscars. I haven’t had the opportunity to see every film nominated for best picture, but I loved The Help almost as much as I did the book, and Midnight in Paris was a delight. I was thoroughly entertained by Moneyball, though Tree of Life ranks on the list of worst movies I have ever seen.

My favorite movie, in terms of number of times watched, is StarWars. Before I was old enough to attend school, I had the lines from most scenes memorized. When we got home from the baby-sitters’ house, I’d rush to pop the tape in the VCR (well, Mom probably did that for me), and proceed to act out the scenes. Today my favorite movie, in terms of actual favorite, is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It’s a bit unusual, but I like the way it makes me think about things.

Coconut Curry Popcorn Seasoning makes a nice gift from the kitchen. Present it alone or as part of a gift basket that could include popcorn, a DVD, movie tickets, or even candy (I love to eat Junior Mints right along with my movie popcorn).

Looking for other popcorn toppings? How about trying some Dijon Buttered Popcorn or Spiced White Chocolate Popcorn. Or maybe you feel like baking with popcorn instead? Try some Popcorn Bread or Caramel Corn Chocolate Chip Cookies. Just make sure to try this Coconut Curry Popcorn the next time you have a movie night. It’s reel good – enjoy!

Coconut Curry Popcorn Seasoning

Author: Country Living Magazine

Recipe type: Snack

Ingredients

1¾ cups Sweetened Shredded Coconut
7 tablespoons Curry Powder
2 tablespoons Salt
3½ teaspoons Sugar
1¾ teaspoons Ground Ginger
1¾ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoons Garlic Powder

Instructions

Place all ingredients in a food processor.
Pulse to combine.
Sprinkle over popcorn.

A Gift From The Kitchen: Salted Caramels

Dec 22, 2011 By Love & Flour in Candies 2 Comments Tags: caramel, gifts

My first encounter with salty caramel was a scoop of ice cream at the Jeni’s (Splendid Ice Creams) in Grandview. At the time, salty caramel was just beginning to approach the intersection of Trendy and Cool. Now salty, or salted, caramel is a flavor I have seen used in almost every dessert imaginable. It’s popularity is exactly the reason I avoided making my own salted caramel dessert for as long as possible. Why should I post something that every one else is posting? Um, because it’s delicious, that’s why.

Making caramels fell under the “must do” portion of my blog list near the holidays. I remember many an afternoon during the school break holiday when I would sit at my grandma’s or my aunt’s kitchen table wrapping homemade caramels in squares of wax paper. I loved the caramels. I tolerated the wrapping.

A friend from work and I recently had a conversation about gift ideas for parents, or the people who have everything. It went something like this:

Friend: “It’s so hard to buy gifts for my parents.”

Me: “No kidding. My sister and I are struggling to come up with ideas this year.”

Friend: “It’s like, hey Mom and Dad, how about I buy you a car for Christmas? Oh wait, that’s right, you bought me a car.”

Me: [Unable to speak due to laughter.]

Perhaps our next conversation will go something like this:

Friend: “It’s so hard to buy gifts for my parents.”

Me: “Make them some salted caramels. They’re delicious.”

Enjoy!

Salted Caramels

Author: Brittles, Barks, and Bonbons by Charity Ferreira

Ingredients

¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter
2¼ cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup whipping cream
½ cup water
2¼ teaspoons sea salt
1½ tablespoons pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Line an 8 x 8 inch pan with aluminum foil, then generously butter the sides and the bottom of the foil.
Combine all of the ingredients except the vanilla extract in saucepan over medium-low heat.
Stir frequently until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved.
Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the mixture turns golden brown and measured 250 degrees F on a candy thermometer. This will take approximately 18-25 minutes.
Remove from the heat and very carefully stir in the vanilla extract. The mixture will bubble up very rapidly.
Pour the caramel into the prepared, buttery foil-lined dish. Let stand at room temperature until the top is set, approximately 20 minutes.
When the top is set, carefully transfer the dish to the refrigerator. Chill until the caramel is firm enough to cut, approximately 2 hours.
Invert the firm caramels on a cutting board and peel back the foil.
Use a sharp knife to cut the caramels into one-inch squares.
Garnish with coarse sea salt if desired.

Notes

A disposable 8 x 8 inch aluminum pan can be used in place of an 8 x 8 baking dish lined with foil, but please recycle it when you finish making caramels! Please also be sure to set a disposable pan on a baking sheet to provide stability.

A Gift From the Kitchen: Homemade Marshmallows

Dec 19, 2011 By Love & Flour in Candies 8 Comments Tags: gifts, marshmallow

At last, a Gift From the Kitchen I have actually given as a gift instead. This past Saturday evening, friends gathered together to celebrate a girl named Niki’s birthday. The fun part was Niki didn’t know we had gathered together to celebrate her birthday until she walked in the restaurant. Her best friend and cousin were able to visit from Raleigh to attend the party, and the expression on Niki’s face and the shout that came out of her mouth when she saw them was highly entertaining for the rest of us.

Niki’s friend Kyrie baked and decorated an AMAZING cake based on a few of Niki’s favorite things: argyle, hockey, and penguins (the Antarctic kind, not the Pittsburgh kind). As for me, I made homemade marshmallows because a) they were on my blog bucket list and b) on a previous occasion I heard Niki remark she wanted to try homemade marshmallows.

In my imaginary world not bound by the time constraints of my real world, we would have gotten together for a homemade marshmallow party where we could have made lots of uniquely flavored marshmallows. In my real world, I made vanilla-honey and chocolate marshmallows before the party and stuck them in Niki’s gift bag.

SAM 5427 Edited e1324256232800 A Gift From the Kitchen: Homemade Marshmallows

The Birthday Girl

The marshmallow recipe I used is from “The Craft of Baking” by Karen Demasco. Though its many steps are time consuming, the steps include a lot of down time that allow one to wash the dishes, wipe off the counters, sing and dance, etc. As I sat writing this post, I realized using a marshmallow recipe from “The Craft of Baking” was quite fitting since the recipe for one of Niki’s favorite things from this blog, homemade graham crackers, came from the same cookbook. Maybe I should have just given her the cookbook?

I wrote the recipe below pretty much as it is seen in the cookbook, though I want to point out a couple of items. The recipe calls for “two tablespoons plus two teaspoons of powdered gelatin (about 2 1/2 envelopes).” I measured my powdered gelatin out and found I needed 3 1/2 envelopes to meet the two tablespoons plus two teaspoons requirement. The envelopes I refer to are those found in the 1 ounce box of Knox Original Gelatine. I also had a lot of the confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch mixture left over, so I believe the measurements could be halved and still provide plenty.

While discussing homemade marshmallows, a friend asked if they were like making meringues. I exclaimed “yes” because whipping egg whites was exactly what I was thinking of while I watched the marshmallow mixture come together. Though no egg whites were involved in the making of these marshmallows, the corn syrup, honey, sugar, water, and gelatin mix until they nearly triple in volume to a light, fluffy, cloud-like (or as near as I can image what a cloud is like) consistency.

The butter flavor nonstick cooking spray I had on hand left a yellow edge along some of the marshmallows I cut. I would suggest using a very light coating of nonstick cooking spray (I tend to over spray) and using unflavored nonstick cooking spray which is typically more transparent than the yellow butter flavor. As you can probably tell, I opted to make thick marshmallows with an 8 x 8 pan.

I made chocolate marshmallows by adding unsweetened cocoa powder to the plain marshmallow mixture flavored with honey and pure vanilla extract. I also added the cocoa powder to my confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch mixture when it came time to coat the chocolate marshmallows.

Niki’s verdict? “The chocolate ones are honestly the best thing I’ve ever tasted!” That’s quite a recommendation! I too really liked the marshmallows soft, melt-in-your mouth texture, but they were very, very sweet. These treats are definitely worth making to enjoy with hot chocolate, s’mores, or as a lone sweet bite. Enjoy!

SAM 5417 Edited A Gift From the Kitchen: Homemade Marshmallows

5.0 from 1 reviews

Marshmallows

Author: The Craft of Baking by Karen DeMasco

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons powdered gelatin (3½ envelopes)
1⅓ cups cold water, divided
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3 tablespoons honey
1¾ cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon salt
¾ cup confectioners’ sugar
⅓ cup cornstarch

Instructions

Coat a 12 x 17 jelly roll pan (thin marshmallows) or an 8 x 8 baking dish (thick marshmallows) with nonstick cooking spray, then line the dish with plastic wrap. The cooking spray will hold the plastic wrap in place. When the dish is lined, spray the plastic wrap with non-stick cooking spray as well. Set aside.
Whisk together the gelatin and one cup of water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Allow to sit while you prepare the sugar mixture.
In a small saucepan, combine the corn syrup, honey, and granulated sugar.
Add ⅓ cup water and very gently stir so the sugar is damp but does not touch the sides of the pan.
Cook over high heat until the sugar reaches the firm ball stage, 245 degrees F, about 6-8 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool to 225 degrees F, about 12 minutes.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour a stream of the sugar syrup down the edge of the mixer bowl into the water and gelatin.
Increase the mixer to medium-high speed once all of the sugar syrup has been added.
After 5 minutes of mixing, add the vanilla and the salt.
Continue mixing until the mixture is very thick and the bowl feels cool, about 15 minutes.
Fold in an additional flavoring (listed in the notes below) if desired.
Pour the mixture into the prepared baking sheet or baking dish and smooth the top with a spatula coated in non-stick cooking spray.
Let stand at room temperature to set up, about 2-3 hours.
Whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch. When the marshmallows have set up, coat a clean counter or other work space with some of the confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch mixture.
Invert the marshmallows from the baking sheet or baking dish on top of the confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch mixture.
Peel back the plastic wrap from what is now the top of the marshmallows.
Sift some of the confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch mixture over the tops.
Using a knife coated in cooking spray, cut the marshmallows into the desired size squares. Toss the marshmallows in the remaining confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch mixture.

Notes

Coconut Marshmallows: Fold in 3 cups shredded, unsweetened coconut. Lemon Marshmallows: Fold in the finely grated zest of 3 lemons. Spiced Marshmallows: Fold in a mixture of 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, and ½ teaspoon ground star anise. Mocha Marshmallows: Fold in ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon coffee extract. Store the marshmallows in an airtight container. They will keep at room temperature for one week.