Minh T. Luong
Food Writer/ Chef-at-large
- December 17, 2007 • 6:06 pm PST
- + responses
Give me a challenge and I'll challenge your taste buds.
This month I was invited to curate the cafe at Good December where I was presented with a real-life Top Chef challenge of creating food that fit within budget constraints and embodied the DIY spirit of the month long event.
Two days later I am on the Acela from Boston schlepping suitcases full of microwave popcorn, some spices and flavorings from my own kitchen, equipped to set up my very own Pop-Up Popcorn stand.
Visitors of to the Pop-Up Community Center were delighted to experiment with making their own popcorn concoctions using a selection of ingredients from Pop Rocks, coconut, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, truffle oil, fresh, fragrant herbs, and more. Some even sampled Vietnamese tamarind that had traveled around the globe courtesy of my parent's last trip to Vietnam.
I had so much fun making and sharing my own surprising popcorn recipes such as chorizo and peanut popcorn, truffle oil, chives, and cheese, and the bacon and dark chocolate popcorn. Then there were the seasonal popcorn varieties such as the chocolate orange popcorn with orange zest, and peppermint, white chocolate popcorn with crush candy canes and Sweet Riot cacao nibs, which was the most requested one by far.
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
1 pound of white chocolate, cut into small chunks
3 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons peppermint extract
4 candy canes, crushed in a mortar and pestle, or by hand
2 cups Sweet Riot cacao nibs
2-3 bags of buttered microwave popcorn
Step 1.
Prepare microwave popcorn as directed on package
Step 2.
On low, melt butter and white chocolate
stirring constantly with a whisk.
Step 3.
When melted, add cream and peppermint extract, continue to whisk until the chocolate mixture is completely smooth.
Step. 4
Slowly mix the white chocolate peppermint in with the popped popcorn, spreading evenly. It's best to do it in batches, with a large bowl, so the popcorn doesn't fly every where.
Step 5.
Add in crushed candy canes, reserving some for garnish right before serving
Step 6.
Mix in cacao nibs
Step 7.
Serve with crushed(now pink)candy canes, and serve with lots of napkins.
This month I was invited to curate the cafe at Good December where I was presented with a real-life Top Chef challenge of creating food that fit within budget constraints and embodied the DIY spirit of the month long event.
Two days later I am on the Acela from Boston schlepping suitcases full of microwave popcorn, some spices and flavorings from my own kitchen, equipped to set up my very own Pop-Up Popcorn stand.
Visitors of to the Pop-Up Community Center were delighted to experiment with making their own popcorn concoctions using a selection of ingredients from Pop Rocks, coconut, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, truffle oil, fresh, fragrant herbs, and more. Some even sampled Vietnamese tamarind that had traveled around the globe courtesy of my parent's last trip to Vietnam.
I had so much fun making and sharing my own surprising popcorn recipes such as chorizo and peanut popcorn, truffle oil, chives, and cheese, and the bacon and dark chocolate popcorn. Then there were the seasonal popcorn varieties such as the chocolate orange popcorn with orange zest, and peppermint, white chocolate popcorn with crush candy canes and Sweet Riot cacao nibs, which was the most requested one by far.
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
1 pound of white chocolate, cut into small chunks
3 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup of heavy cream
2 tablespoons peppermint extract
4 candy canes, crushed in a mortar and pestle, or by hand
2 cups Sweet Riot cacao nibs
2-3 bags of buttered microwave popcorn
Step 1.
Prepare microwave popcorn as directed on package
Step 2.
On low, melt butter and white chocolate
stirring constantly with a whisk.
Step 3.
When melted, add cream and peppermint extract, continue to whisk until the chocolate mixture is completely smooth.
Step. 4
Slowly mix the white chocolate peppermint in with the popped popcorn, spreading evenly. It's best to do it in batches, with a large bowl, so the popcorn doesn't fly every where.
Step 5.
Add in crushed candy canes, reserving some for garnish right before serving
Step 6.
Mix in cacao nibs
Step 7.
Serve with crushed(now pink)candy canes, and serve with lots of napkins.
