Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Happy Halloween: The Curse of the Popcorn Ball
Two seperate Halloween's, I have attempted to make popcorn balls. It just sounds like a fun sweet/salty snack that is crunchy (you must always have a crunch factor!) and festive. If you have ever made these holiday concoctions successfully, please let me know your dirtiest secrets.
Because apparently, this idiot never learns.
First try was a couple years ago, before a Halloween party. Having read absolutely nothing about making them, I figured it was easy. Just slap some caramel, peanuts, popcorn together and Voila! we have lovely popcorn balls, right? WRONG. I ended up having scalding caramel all over my hands, leaving me with blistered palms. There was no ball-like structure, only globs of mess. Awesome.
You would have thought I would have known better this year.
So this year, I [ahem we] did some research on the lovely internet and learned that in fact cooked caramel is NOT the gluing agent. It is in fact making your own candy out of corn syrup. Ok, looked easy enough. My only problem being that I don't own a candy thermometer, but this "soft ball/hard ball" test thing seemed easy enough.
Rule #1: Always purchase a candy thermometer.
The corn syrup mixture goes from liquid to practically peanut brittle mix in the blink of an eye. This is why when I now bite into the resulting popcorn balls, it like biting into a popcorn covered in Jolly Rancher candy; it gets all stuck in your teeth.
Rule #2: Do NOT under any circumstances pour the candy mixture on foil or wax paper.
Use a nice stick-free bowl that has been greased with some butter. The syrup hardens to diamond-like strength quickly. And popcorn balls with aluminum foil flecks in them just dont taste as good.
Rule #3: DON'T USE YOUR HANDS to form the balls.
You would have think I would have learned this what with the blister nightmares from years past. First of all, grease your hands with butter for the last part of compacting the ball; and secondly, use a spatula or two to for the preliminary clumps when the syrup is still fresh off the stove.
Rule #4: Butter is NOT the same as Butter FLAVORING.
There is a lot of chemistry involved in making candy. I never faired well in chemistry. Just for your own redundant knowledge, butter flavoring is an extract, very different from the stuff you put on your toast.
I'm a stubborn chick (the hell you say!), and chances are, I'll try it again some time. Because I hate that something as simple as a popcorn ball is getting the best of my sanity.
Because apparently, this idiot never learns.
First try was a couple years ago, before a Halloween party. Having read absolutely nothing about making them, I figured it was easy. Just slap some caramel, peanuts, popcorn together and Voila! we have lovely popcorn balls, right? WRONG. I ended up having scalding caramel all over my hands, leaving me with blistered palms. There was no ball-like structure, only globs of mess. Awesome.
You would have thought I would have known better this year.
So this year, I [ahem we] did some research on the lovely internet and learned that in fact cooked caramel is NOT the gluing agent. It is in fact making your own candy out of corn syrup. Ok, looked easy enough. My only problem being that I don't own a candy thermometer, but this "soft ball/hard ball" test thing seemed easy enough.
Rule #1: Always purchase a candy thermometer.
The corn syrup mixture goes from liquid to practically peanut brittle mix in the blink of an eye. This is why when I now bite into the resulting popcorn balls, it like biting into a popcorn covered in Jolly Rancher candy; it gets all stuck in your teeth.
Rule #2: Do NOT under any circumstances pour the candy mixture on foil or wax paper.
Use a nice stick-free bowl that has been greased with some butter. The syrup hardens to diamond-like strength quickly. And popcorn balls with aluminum foil flecks in them just dont taste as good.
Rule #3: DON'T USE YOUR HANDS to form the balls.
You would have think I would have learned this what with the blister nightmares from years past. First of all, grease your hands with butter for the last part of compacting the ball; and secondly, use a spatula or two to for the preliminary clumps when the syrup is still fresh off the stove.
Rule #4: Butter is NOT the same as Butter FLAVORING.
There is a lot of chemistry involved in making candy. I never faired well in chemistry. Just for your own redundant knowledge, butter flavoring is an extract, very different from the stuff you put on your toast.
I'm a stubborn chick (the hell you say!), and chances are, I'll try it again some time. Because I hate that something as simple as a popcorn ball is getting the best of my sanity.
Monday, October 09, 2006
OPA!
Went to the Greek Festival this last Friday.
SO. MUCH. FUN.
It was brilliant. Andrew and I got there around 4:30, and got the dinner plate, which is basically a sampler platter. LOVED the spanokopita (although I keep wanting to call it "spank-a-pita", much like my sister and I refer to Spokane, Washington as "Spank-a-pony'; Don't ask, my family is strange) and the Greek meatballs and the honeyballs. We crashed a table of people in order to sit and enjoy the food and wine (WAY TOO MUCH) and the whole night we kept meeting all these random groups of people who would come join us. Janet joined us, and then later Marcelo and his Brazillian date (ow ow), and then I ran into all kinds of Polish mafia friends. What can I say, the multi-cultural (halfies) like to do the festival/dancing/drinking/eating thing. And it is definitely festival month! (Read: the only month where the weather is bearable in this state.)
But really, we met some really interesting people, namely a pair (I don't think they were a couple) where the guy was a food critic, and the girl likes to throw parties that live in the area. Of course, you mention food critic to Andrew and he pretty much explodes with joy immediately as the conversation got very involved in restaurants and food and menus and certain chefs, and so forth. That is the point of the conversation where I politely excuse myself with Janet, and join people doing Greek dances on the stage (ok, so we're a few bottles in by then).
I like to think I was just a LITTLE bit Greek on Friday.
SO. MUCH. FUN.
It was brilliant. Andrew and I got there around 4:30, and got the dinner plate, which is basically a sampler platter. LOVED the spanokopita (although I keep wanting to call it "spank-a-pita", much like my sister and I refer to Spokane, Washington as "Spank-a-pony'; Don't ask, my family is strange) and the Greek meatballs and the honeyballs. We crashed a table of people in order to sit and enjoy the food and wine (WAY TOO MUCH) and the whole night we kept meeting all these random groups of people who would come join us. Janet joined us, and then later Marcelo and his Brazillian date (ow ow), and then I ran into all kinds of Polish mafia friends. What can I say, the multi-cultural (halfies) like to do the festival/dancing/drinking/eating thing. And it is definitely festival month! (Read: the only month where the weather is bearable in this state.)
But really, we met some really interesting people, namely a pair (I don't think they were a couple) where the guy was a food critic, and the girl likes to throw parties that live in the area. Of course, you mention food critic to Andrew and he pretty much explodes with joy immediately as the conversation got very involved in restaurants and food and menus and certain chefs, and so forth. That is the point of the conversation where I politely excuse myself with Janet, and join people doing Greek dances on the stage (ok, so we're a few bottles in by then).
I like to think I was just a LITTLE bit Greek on Friday.
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