Caramel Corn Without the Carnies

It seems that I often hear people dissing popcorn.  It's not really a whole grain, they say. Oh, yeah?  Then, what kind of grain is it?  It looks whole to me.  And when it's popped, it wholly delicious.  A little sprinkle of salt and your popped corn is good to go.

Or is it?  Let's say, for example, that you've gone to the minimal trouble of popping it yourself on your stovetop and not (gasp!) having used the microwave.  Sure, there's an inherent appeal of enjoying the little mushroom clouds of nature in their mostly unadulterated form, but wouldn't it be fun to add some molten sugar to the mix?

I think there is something so thrilling, in a danger seeking kind of way, in the use of boiling sugar concoctions.  And assuming that you can keep the sweet magma off your skin and your sweet self out of the emergency room, the pay off is well worth the effort.

Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients:

1/3 C of popping corn popped (about 6 Cs popped)

1/2 ts of salt
1 C of turbinado (raw) sugar
1/4 of maple syrup
2 tbs of butter
2 ts of cider vinegar

1/2 ts of vanilla
1/2 ts of baking soda

Directions:

Put popped corn into a large roasting pan.

Preheat oven to 225°

In a medium sauce pan, combine salt, sugar, syrup, butter, and vinegar.  Whisk over medium heat until dissolved.  Increase the heat by a couple notches (7 out of 10) and bring to boil. Let boil without stirring for 5 minutes.

Turn off heat and add baking soda and vanilla.

Whisk (it will foam) and then pour over popped corn.  Stir corn and caramel with a wooden spoon.

Place roasting pan in preheated oven for 1 hour stirring every ten minutes.

Serve and enjoy.

How's that for whole grain goodness?