Date: Mon, 20 Feb 95 10:58:00 CST
From: "Mary Morrison" (MMORRISN@GSLAN.OFFSYS.UOKNOR.EDU)
Caramel Corn
The coating for the popcorn is easy to make fatfree. If you have a
method you like to pop the corn fatfree, the race is won! For the
coating, all you need is:
2 cups light brown sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 t. vinegar
Combine the above in a 2-qt. saucepan, bring to boil (stirring to
dissolve sugar completely). Continue boiling and stirring until
syrup thickens and reaches the "hard-crack" stage -- consult the
candy-making section of any comprehensive cookbook for description
and candy-thermometer temperature. My method of determining
readiness is when the syrup "makes threads" when dropped off the tip
of a spoon OR when a drop allowed to fall into a cup of cool tap
water forms a ball instantly. It takes practice -- cook too long
and the coating will be granular; cook not long enough and it'll be
sticky. When the syrup reaches the desired stage, take it off the
burner, IMMEDIATELY stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon
baking soda (the soda interacts with the vinegar's acidity and makes
the syrup light and sort of foamy). Pour gradually over
popped corn while stirring with a long-handled spoon to distribute the
coating (or have someone else do the stirring or pouring). This
stuff is VERY HOT and will stick to you and inflict deep burns so be
careful! Homemade caramel corn is much superior to anything you can
buy in a package. Or at KarmelKorn, for that matter. Once you know
how to do it, you can play around with other flavorings, like
Cinnamon Oil (use sparingly!) or other extracts.
kwvegan vegan