Popcorn and Caramel Corn and Clarified Butter

Five years ago I wrote about conquering my culinary nemesis, Popcorn. After trying all the helpful hints readers had given me a couple years before in their comments on my initial post, Popcorn - My Culinary Nemesis, I put together a method that works perfectly for me every time. 

I’m still using the same pan, a lightweight but heavy-bottomed stainless steel pan, the perfect stovetop popcorn pan, one I can actually lift and shake several times during the popping rather than just scraping it back and forth on the stove. Other lessons learned are in the directions below. 

Step 2 (below) is the single most important tip that turned me into a popcorn master! Those 30 seconds off the heat after adding the popcorn kernels to the pan, hot from popping the 4 test kernels, make all the difference. I have few to no unpopped kernels, ever!

At first I was using organic cold-pressed canola oil as a better alternative to the usual highly refined oils, but I wasn’t really happy about it. So a few years later, when I realized that extra virgin olive oil has quite a decent smoke point (375F/191C), I tried that and it worked beautifully.

But that was a couple years ago, and I got to thinking about how clarified butter has a really high smoke point (485F/252C) and offers the added benefit of killing two birds with one stone, cooking the popcorn and buttering it at the same time.

This photo is Popcorn; the other two photos are Caramel Corn.

How to Make Clarified Butter

Clarified butter takes about 15 minutes to make and keeps in the refrigerator for several months. To make 2/3 to 3/4 cup, melt 2 sticks (8 ounces/227 grams) unsalted butter in a 1-quart saucepan, bring to a boil, cook over medium heat for maybe 10 minutes (long enough to cook off the water content), skimming off the foam floating on the top. Let stand for a few minutes, give it a final skim, and pour carefully into a half-pint jar, leaving behind any milk solids on the bottom of the pan. 

The foam and milk solids have a lot of flavor, so you can stir them into something you’re making or put them on your vegetables rather than putting them in the trash.

Do leave a comment and share your likes and dislikes and tips for popcorn and its variations. I should tell you, my caramel corn is much less sweet than most, and I hope you'll try it this less-sweet way. Also, for those who care about such things, it contains no corn syrup.

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Popcorn 

(Makes about 10 cups) 

1/3 cup (2.5 ounces/71 grams) popcorn kernels 
2 tablespoons (1 ounce/28 grams) clarified organic unsalted butter or extra virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt 

1 Put 4 popcorn kernels ("test" kernels) in heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan (I use the Farberware Classic Stainless Steel 3-Quart Covered Saucepan) along with the clarified butter and salt. Heat over medium to medium-high heat. 

2 When the 4 kernels pop, add the rest of the popcorn kernels in an even layer. Cover, remove from heat, and count 30 seconds. 

3 Return the pan to medium to medium-high heat. When it really starts popping, shake the pan gently back and forth over (or slightly above) the burner, holding the lid askew (at least from time to time) to let the soggy-making steam out. 

4 As soon as the popping slows to several seconds between pops, dump it into a wide 4- or 5-quart bowl. If you like more butter on your popcorn, melt a tablespoon of it in the hot popcorn pan and drizzle it over the popcorn, tossing well to distribute the butter evenly. 

Caramel Corn 

(Makes about 10 cups) 

1/3 cup (2.5 ounces/71 grams) popcorn kernels 
2 tablespoons (1 ounce/28 grams) clarified organic unsalted butter or extra virgin olive oil
1/4 packed cup (1.75 ounces/50 grams) dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons (1 ounce/28 grams) unsalted butter  
1 tablespoon and 1/2 teaspoon water 
1/8 teaspoon salt 

1 Preheat oven to 250F/120C/Gas1/2. Line an 18x13x1-inch half-sheet pan with parchment paper. Measure popcorn kernels and clarified butter. Before starting to pop the corn, in 1-quart saucepan start melting together the sugar, butter and the tablespoon of water over low heat, stirring a few times.


2 Pop the corn as directed in Popcorn recipe, but don't use salt and don't add butter. Pour into a very large bowl (to give you room for tossing). 

3 Increase heat to medium and cook caramel until it has been bubbling for one minute. Stir in the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of water; it will foam up. 

4 Immediately drizzle the foamy sauce over the popcorn, tossing well to coat. Spread out on prepared half-sheet pan. Bake for one hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Steamed Jam Sponge Pudding - A British Classic

For some reason, it’s been a few years since I last made a steamed pudding. But it was one of the first things I thought of when I unboxed my Instant Pot in December. But you don't need one of those to steam a pudding.

Steam on Stovetop, in Slow Cooker or in Instant Pot

You can steam this in a slow cooker, using the directions given in my Steamed Pumpkin Pudding post, or on the stovetop, using the directions below. For those with an Instant Pot …

… I’ve gone into great detail with the directions, in case you’re new to steaming puddings in the pressure cooker. So it might look a bit complicated, but it really isn’t. And the total cooking time is just an hour! 

It seems the texture is improved by first pre-steaming without pressure, which makes this a two-stage process—which kind of bugs me, but if that’s what it takes for the best result, well …

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Steamed Jam Sponge Pudding

(Makes one 6-cup/1.4-litre pudding, 10 servings)

1/2 cup (5.5 ounces/156 grams) raspberry or strawberry jam
1 1/2 dip-and-sweep cups (7.5 ounces/213 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons non-GMO baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons (7 ounces/198 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature and very soft
1 cup (7 ounces/198 grams) sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temperature, beaten

1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces/118 ml) milk, room temperature

1 Butter well the inside of a 3-inch-deep 6-inch round cake tin (or other 6-cup/1.4-litre pudding mould that will fit in the Instant Pot, slow cooker or stovetop pot). Put a round of parchment paper in the tin and butter it as well. Spread the jam evenly in the bottom of the tin; place the tin in the freezer while you proceed. This will make it easier to spread the thick batter in the tin without disturbing the layer of jam. 

2 In 1.5-quart bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisking vigorously for about 60 seconds “sifts” the dry ingredients.

3 In 2.5-quart bowl, with electric mixer (electric hand whisk), cream butter. Add sugar and vanilla, and continue creaming until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. While beating, slowly drizzle in beaten eggs, adding about a tablespoon or two of flour to smooth out the mixture. Continue beating until light and fluffy. With large metal spoon, fold in the flour mixture. Stir in the milk. Batter should be rather thick, of a consistency to drop from the spoon.

4 Scrape the batter into the prepared cake tin/pudding mould and cover tightly with foil. Tie a piece of kitchen string tightly below the rim of the tin. (I don't bother to make a "pleat" in the foil because I've formulated the batter to be precisely the right amount to fill the tin to about 1.5 centimeters from the top and to rise to meet the tight foil lid and go no farther. Besides, I don't really think that pleat business works!

Note: If your Instant Pot rack doesn't have handles, or if you are steaming your pudding on the stovetop, you can make a handle with kitchen string to make it easy to put in and take out of the pot.

Note: If using the Instant Pot, skip right to step 5 and carry on. If steaming your pudding stovetop: In a saucepan or stockpot wide enough and deep enough for your pudding mould, place a wire rack or folded tea towel to lift the mould off the bottom of the pan. Place the pudding on the rack and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up the side of the mould. Over medium heat, bring the water to a boil. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, and let steam for about 2 hours, checking the water level every 30 minutes to make sure it doesn't boil dry. Skip to number 9. 

5 Place rack (with its handles up) in bottom of the Instant Pot cooking pot, and add 2 cups of boiling water to the pot. Center the pudding on the rack.

6 Put on the optional Instant Pot glass lid. Plug in the Instant Pot. Press the Saute key to select that program. Press the Saute key as many times as it takes to change the temperature indicator to Less. Press the Plus or Minus key to change the cooking time to 20 minutes to pre-steam the pudding before pressure cooking.

Note: You need to start with hot water because the Instant Pot set on the Saute function starts counting down the minutes right away (and does not display the minutes, just the word “Hot,” so I set a kitchen timer just to be sure!). 

7 When the beep sounds, it turns Off. Remove the optional Instant Pot glass lid and put the pressure cooking lid in place. Turn the steam valve to Sealing. Press the Pressure Cook key. Leave the indicator on High Pressure and change the cooking time to 35 minutes.

Note: Since it is already hot, it only takes about 4 minutes to come up to pressure.

8 When the beep sounds, turn it off by pressing Cancel. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 20 minutes, then do a quick release by turning the steam valve to Venting. Then leave the lid in place for another 10 minutes.

9 Carefully remove the lid. Using potholders or oven gloves and the handles on the rack, carefully lift out the pudding. Remove the foil. The pudding should be slightly pulling away from the edges of the pan.

10 Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pudding. Invert it onto a serving plate. Serve warm with hot or cold Custard Sauce or with whipped cream.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Instant Pot Pinto Beans - Frijoles de Olla Instante

Don’t worry, my regular readers—I’m not going to be blogging constantly about Instant Pot cooking. I’m not convinced everyone “needs” one, even though I’m having fun with it. But I’ve decided there is one group of people who might need one—people who cook a lot of beans. So far I’ve just made Pinto Beans.

I’ve stuck with the one kind of bean because I wanted to experiment and find the ideal way—well, my ideal way, anyway—of cooking Instant Pot Pinto Beans. The first conclusion I came to on the subject was that presoaking is not necessary. I kept reading that you’ll have more “blown-out” beans if you pressure cook them without presoaking. 

But my experiments have shown that it’s not whether the beans have been presoaked or not, but rather it’s the length of the natural pressure release, that determines whether the beans remain whole, for the most part, or break apart. For stovetop beans, I presoak; for Slow Cooker Pinto Beans, I do not. For the Instant Pot, definitely not.

The second conclusion I came to is that the beans made in the Instant Pot taste better than the beans cooked with the same ingredients by any other method. I was amazed and have no scientific explanation for it. I can only assume that pressure cooking somehow forces more flavor into the beans. Is that true, or just my imagination? 

Cooking times can be tricky for dried beans. Whatever method you use—stovetop, slow cooker or pressure cooker—cooking times for dried beans will vary due to the age of the beans and perhaps other factors about the beans themselves. There are different cooking times for different beans.

I decided to cook my presoaked pinto beans for 10 minutes at high pressure followed by natural pressure release for 25 minutes, with the idea that if they were underdone I’d set it for another 2 minutes (it should build pressure quickly the second time) and check again.

The presoaked (for 12 hours) beans were perfectly done in 10 minutes. So 20 to 25 minutes to come up to pressure, 10 minutes to cook, 25 minutes natural pressure release—an hour or less total—instead of 7 hours in the slow cooker or 2 1/2 to 4 hours on the stovetop. And they taste better! 

But then I decided to experiment with beans that had not been presoaked. Yes, they take longer to cook—the same 20 to 25 minutes to come up to pressure, 40 minutes to cook, the same 25 minutes natural pressure release—but it’s still just an hour and a half or less.

One pound of dried pinto beans makes the equivalent of four 15-ounce/425 gram cans of cooked pinto beans and costs about the same as one can—a significant savings. You can even put the batch of beans into four pint jars or glass storage containers to freeze. Just pull one out anytime a can of beans is called for. 

Since dried beans are done so quickly in the Instant Pot, you could cook several batches of various kinds of beans all in one day, refrigerate what you need for the week and freeze the rest for future meals. Can’t wait to try pressure cooking dried garbanzo beans for hummus.

Mr Delightful is not a bean fan, but since I’m not a huge carnivore, I rely on legumes for a lot of my protein. Lovelovelove Black Bean Soup and Bean with Bacon Soup. 

Instant Pot Pinto Beans - Frijoles de Olla Instante

(Makes about 6 cups of drained beans)

2 1/2 cups (16 ounces/454 grams) dried pinto beans
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 small (about 3 ounces) onion, peeled, optional

6 1/2 cups (56 fluid ounces/1.66 litres) water 

1 Rinse beans, watching for any debris or bad beans, and add to the inner cooking pot of the 6-quart Instant Pot or other brand pressure cooker. Add remaining ingredients. 

Note: Don't skip the olive oil; it prevents foaming that could clog up the valve. 

2 Put the lid in place and turn the steam valve to Sealing. Plug in the Instant Pot. Press the Pressure Cook key. Leave the indicator lights on High Pressure and Normal temperature, and change the cooking time to 40 minutes.

Note: It takes 20 to 25 minutes to reach working pressure. This varies with the amount and temperature of the ingredients in the pot. 

3 When the beep sounds, turn it off by pressing Cancel. Set a kitchen timer for 25 minutes and allow the pressure to release naturally, then do a quick release by turning the steam valve to Venting.

4 When the float valve drops down, carefully remove the lid. If the beans are not done to your liking, put the lid back on, turn the steam valve to Sealing, and cook on High Pressure for additional minutes.

5 Remove the onion; taste and adjust seasoning.

Note: The cooked beans can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Carrot Cake - Instant Pot (or Oven)

Carrot cake has always been a favorite of ours. And I usually make one (in the oven) from a recipe my mother and I developed together when I was a teenager and we first had carrot cake but couldn’t find a recipe for it.

Last week I told Mr Delightful I wanted to try a cake in my new Instant Pot and he requested carrot cake. So I cut down my usual Carrot Cake recipe to fit in a 7-inch round pan perfect for the Instant Pot.

We really liked it, but one might ask, Why make it in the Instant Pot when it isn’t any quicker than baking it in the oven? And if you need to feed a crowd, you need to bake the larger carrot cake or exactly two dozen Carrot Cupcakes.

But if you only need a small cake and don’t want to heat up your house by running the oven on a hot day, or you're using your oven for other things, making a cake in the Instant Pot makes sense.

Of course, you can also bake this cake in the oven at 350F/180C/Gas4. Have you made any cakes in the Instant Pot? What is your favorite cake flavor?

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Carrot Cake – Instant Pot 

(Makes one 7-inch/18 cm cake, 8 servings) 

The Cake

1 dip-and-sweep cup (5 ounces/142 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup (1.25 ounces/35 grams) chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted and cooled

1/3 cup (1.67 ounces/47 grams) dried currants

2/3 cup (4.67 ounces/132 grams) sugar

2/3 cup (5.33 fluid ounces/158 ml) organic expeller pressed canola oil*
2 large eggs, room temperature

1 packed cup (6 ounces/170 grams) peeled and shredded carrots

* I want to try this with organic extra virgin olive oil. 

The Frosting

1 3-ounce (85 grams) package cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons (1.5 ounces/43 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/16 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 packed cups (6 ounces/170 grams) unsifted powdered sugar

1 After you’ve chopped and toasted the nuts and shredded the carrots, butter well and lightly flour a 2-inch deep 7-inch round cake tin. In small bowl, whisk together flour, soda, cinnamon and salt. 

2 In a small bowl, stir together the toasted and cooled nuts and dried currants with about a teaspoon of the flour mixture, making sure all the currants are separated and coated. 

3 In medium bowl, beat the sugar and oil together well, and then beat in the eggs. Stir in the flour mixture followed by the nuts and currents and then the shredded carrots. Scrape into prepared tin and cover tightly with foil. 

4 Place rack (with its handles down) in bottom of the Instant Pot cooking pot, and add 1 cup of water to the pot. Carefully set the cake, centered on its foil sling, on the rack.

5 Put the lid in place and turn the steam valve to Sealing. Plug in the Instant Pot. Press the Pressure Cook key. Leave the indicator on High Pressure and change the cooking time to 45 minutes.

Note: It took just a few minutes to reach working pressure. This varies with the amount and temperature of the ingredients in the pot. 

6 When the beep sounds, turn it off by pressing Cancel. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes,* then do a quick release by turning the steam valve to Venting.

* I set my kitchen timer (my favorite timer of all time!) so I don't get distracted.

7 When the float valve drops down, carefully remove the lid. With a paper towel, gently blot any moisture that collected on top of the foil. Using the foil sling, carefully lift out the cake. Remove the foil. The cake should be pulling away from the edges of the pan.

8 Carefully run a knife around the edge of the cake. Turn it out onto a wire rack. Let cool completely, about 1 hour, before frosting.

9 In 1.5-quart mixing bowl, mix cream cheese and butter with electric hand mixer until smooth. Add vanilla extract, salt, and about a third of the powdered sugar; then beat in the remaining sugar. 

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support. 

Jean

Mini Fruit Tartlets - Tartelettes aux Fruits

Mini fruit tartlets are the one sweet thing I’m happy to see on the three-tiered stand at afternoon tea. You know I’m all about the sandwiches and scones at tea, but I’m not averse to a well-made mini fruit tartlet or two.

They’re the perfect little dessert to bring out to cap off any kind of “finger foods” occasion. They always get rave reviews. One group declared my little tarts “bakery quality, no, even better than bakery quality!” 

They’re quick and easy to assemble on the day you want to serve them if you make your pastry and pastry cream a day or two ahead. You can even bake the pastry shells ahead and store at room temperature in an airtight container. 

I can bake a double batch at one time because I have two pans, but my newest tartelette pan is vastly superior. It’s the Nordic Ware heavy cast aluminum tartelette pan which bakes very evenly and makes very sharp fluting.

If you’re a fan of individual-serving and mini foods, I know you’ll enjoy making, and eating, these little tartlets. What kind of fruits will you use?

Mini Fruit Tartlets – Tartelettes aux Fruits 

(Makes 12 2.5-inch/6.35 cm mini tarts)

The Pastry Cream - Crème Pâtissière

(Makes about 1 1/4 cups)

1 cup (8 fluid ounces/237 ml) milk
1/4 cup (1.75 ounces/50 grams) sugar
1/4 cup (1.25 ounces/grams) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/16 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk (white reserved for pastry)
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

The Pastry - Pâte Sucrée 

1 dip-and-sweep cup (5 ounces/142 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour

1/8 packed cup (0.5 ounce/14 grams) unsifted powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (3 ounces/85 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 large egg white (yolk used in pastry cream)

The Fruit and Glaze

About 1 1/2 cups assorted berries and sliced fruits such as kiwi

2 tablespoons jam plus 2 teaspoons water, melted and strained

1 In heavy-bottomed saucepan (I use the Le Creuset Stainless Steel 2-Quart Saucier), heat milk to just below a simmer. You'll see a skin forming and the milk wiggling under the surface.

2 In 1- to 1.5-quart mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in egg and yolk. Gradually whisk in the hot milk. Use an electric hand mixer if you like.

3 Pour the mixture back into the saucepan (or saucier) and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly (slowly at first, then speeding up as the custard thickens), until the custard gets very, very thick and holds the whisk marks. Pay close attention; if you get distracted for a second, you can end up with bits of scrambled egg in your custard.

4 Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla extract. If you have any lumps of egg, place a fine-mesh strainer over a small bowl, and press pastry cream through it to ensure a perfectly smooth custard. Cover surface of custard with a round of parchment paper cut to fit the bowl. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate to chill.

5 Add flour, powdered sugar and salt to work bowl of food processor; turn on for about 3 or 4 seconds to combine. Add chunks of butter; pulse to a crumb texture. Add egg; pulse until the dough starts clumping together. This is to be a crisp, more cookie-like crust, rather than a flaky pastry; so there's not quite the concern about over-processing. Flatten slightly into a 4- to 6-inch round disc, wrap and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. 

6 Prepare a 12-well tartelette pan by brushing each well with very soft butter. On lightly floured surface or square of parchment paper, roll out the pastry to about a 10-inch/25.5 cm square; pastry should be very thin, about 1/8-inch thick. With a 3-inch/7.5 cm cutter, cut out 9 circles; reroll the dough to 1/8-inch thickness and cut out 3 circles. Fit the pastry circles firmly into the tin, but do not stretch the dough. With a fork, poke holes all over bottom of the pastry. Place in freezer for 15 minutes while preheating the oven to 400F/205C/Gas6. 

7 Bake tart shells until light golden brown, about 12 to 13 minutes (though it might be different for your oven, your pan, etc). Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before taking pastry shells out to continue cooling on wire rack. 

8 To assemble tartelettes, whisk the pastry cream to loosen it. Fill each completely cooled pastry shell with a tablespoon or so of pastry cream. Smooth the tops. Place fruit on top. Brush with melted jam glaze. Keep refrigerated until serving time. 

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon .com and affiliated sites. We are a ThermoWorks affiliate, earning a small commission at no cost to you on purchases made through our links. This helps cover some of the costs of running the blog. Thank you for your support.

Jean