Salute To Alinea

My Christmas present to myself this year was the "Alinea" cookbook, containing recipes from the Alinea restaurant in Chicago. http://www.amazon.com/Alinea-Grant-Achatz/dp/1580089283

Lots of ambitious recipes in this fine book, many of which are difficult to attempt with the tools of a home cook.  But one caught my eye, because it was relatively easy, and sounded fabulous: "Caramel Popcorn, Liquified"

This recipe has two components: a caramel foam that is used to top the other component, a buttered popcorn soup.  So, first I attempt the caramel.  It involves all the usual ingredients of making caramel, such as sugar and water.  First, you make the caramel liquid and let it come to room temperature.

Caramel, cooling.

Now, onto making the amazing popcorn soup.  First, you make popcorn the old fashioned way, using oil in a pot.  (No microwaves were harmed in making this dish.)  Then, you throw the popcorn in a pot with a gob of butter, salt, a lot of water and a passel of white sugar.  (Hmmm, all the ingredients of buttered, salted caramel popcorn.)

Buttered Caramel Popcorn Soup, Phase 1

If you look carefully, you can see that I burned a few kernels of popcorn, but shhhhh, don't point that out to anyone.

Now comes the part that involves multiple "filtration" steps, and lets you make a really big mess of your kitchen.

First, you strain out all the kernels using a chinois,  Then, you submit it to five minutes of blenderizing, (not a real word, but I like it), followed by straining it again.

You end up with a soup that looks like buttered milk, but tastes just like salty caramel popcorn.  Amazing.

Now, you go back to the caramel that you made originally, and add some soy lecithin.  Soy lecithin is a "foaming agent".  You get out your old hand blender, and blend it into a foamy froth.  That's the theory, but it didn't happen.  Very little foam, but more of big mess in the kitchen.   (A couple of bloggers who also made this recipe had the same problem, so I don't feel badly.) 

I have used soy lecithin previously in a recipe called "Frozen Chocolate Wind" (http://www.molecule-r.com/en/content/55-frozen-chocolate-wind)  That was also a big mess, but the chocolate actually foamed up, and the result was delicious.  The keys seem to be to put the liquid in a tall glass (reduces the mess) and to have a non-wimpy hand-blender (I think mine is moderately wimpy).

So, no caramel foam on my liquified popcorn, but it still tastes mighty fine.

Caramel Popcorn, Liquified

This recipe is fairly easy, and can be made ahead of time.  (Don't do the caramel foam, just do the popcorn soup.)  I will probably serve it in a small shot glass as a dessert component at a future get-together

Here is the recipe if you would like to give it a try: http://www.molecularrecipes.com/surprises/liquid-popcorn-caramel-froth/.