Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Truffle-Honey Caramel Corn with Truffled Honey Caramel & Truffle Salt

Truffle-Honey Caramel Corn with Truffled Honey Caramel & Truffle Salt
So, Valentine's Day is in a couple days... that means you need to spend some quality time with your honey. Last year, I came up with the first + original recipe for Red Hot Velvet Cinnamon Rolls. You may have seen them on Pinterest because they blew up on there, and probably a few other recipes around the internet that got the idea from here, and if you haven't tried them, you should. Especially for the extra special lover's day. This year, my Mountain Man & I are kind of busy, so we have to push our celebration off until Friday. And for every holiday, we always have our own thing that we plan. He always takes us out for dinner, dessert, and a little surprise, while I always cook us a fancy dinner or a cute picnic lunch for the park. This time around, I thought about how I wanted to do a movie night with a bunch of gourmet snacks to enjoy while snuggling up together. This was one of my ideas and I know I will be recreating it for our special dinner + a movie. I mean, you always have to have popcorn while watching a film, ya know?!? Why not spice it up a bit with some caramel corn, and not just any kind of caramel corn... Truffle-Honey Caramel Corn. That's right, popcorn that is perfectly covered in a caramel sauce that is made with truffle honey and truffle butter, and then sprinkled with truffle salt! We love truffle-anything around this house. My Mountain Man is always sniffing the can of white truffle oil while I'm cooking, he's addicted. But, I do know, truffle isn't for everyone, so I urge those who aren't truffle fans to steer clear because it is DEFINITELY truffled. This is the perfect little snack to pop in your mouth while watching rom-com's or scary movies (whatever floats your boat)! Oh, and P.S., check back on Valentine's Day for a new, super awesome red velvet recipe... maybe it could top the cinnamon rolls? Debatable!! Enjoy :)

For the Gourmet Popcorn:
1/3C Corn Kernels
1T White Truffle Oil
½t Salt
2T Truffle Butter, Melted (for tossing the popcorn)

For the Truffle Honey Caramel:
½C Gourmet Truffle Honey
¼C Heavy Whipping Cream
2T Unsalted Butter or Truffle Butter (depending on how much truffle you want)
1t Vanilla
Truffle Salt or Vanilla Bean Fleur de Sel, For Sprinkling    

Directions:
1. Lightly coat a heatproof rubber spatula, a very large mixing bowl and line a large baking sheet with a silpat. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
2. In a large saucepan or pot with a lid, heat the 1T of white truffle oil over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn kernels and salt, cover and keep the saucepan moving until all of the kernels have popped, about 5-10 minutes (depending on the heat level). Transfer to the prepared bowl, removing any un-popped kernels. Pour over the melted truffle butter and toss to coat all of the popcorn (this will add even more truffle flavor, but can be omitted if wanted). Set the buttered popcorn aside.
3. For the Truffle Honey Caramel: In a medium pot, add in the truffle honey, whipping cream, butter, and vanilla. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat until it is bubbly and caramel in color, reaching 240 degrees. Make sure to stir continuously. Once it has reached the desired temperature, pour the honey caramel over the popcorn and toss it with the prepared rubber spatula until the popcorn is completely tossed and covered. Quickly pour & spread the caramel popcorn onto the prepared silpat. Sprinkle the hot popcorn with either truffle salt or vanilla bean fleur de sel until you have reached your desired saltiness (depending on how much truffle or sweetness you want, you can also use sea salt).
4. Place the popcorn pan into the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the popcorn has reached an even darker caramel color. Let the popcorn cool & harden completely before enjoying.

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