Basic olive oil popped corn

Chef Michael Schwartz won the foodie equivalent of an Oscar: a James Beard Award. For Oscar Night, he offers this olive oil popped corn recipe along with variations.

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup plain or extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn

INSTRUCTIONS

Pour olive oil in heavy Dutch oven. Sprinkle popcorn evenly over oil. Cover loosely to allow steam to escape. On stovetop, heat over medium heat. Allow corn to pop until popping slows to 1 to 2 seconds between pops.

Remove from heat; let stand 10 to 15 seconds to allow popping to stop. Season with salt, if desired. Pour onto parchment paper or clean paper bag to cool or serve immediately.

Tip: Heavy pans usually distribute the heat more evenly for popping corn, making it unnecessary to shake pan while popping. Popping corn in a lighter pan generally benefits from shaking the pan back and forth over the burner while popping.

Curry spiced popcorn

Makes 10 to 12 cups

INGREDIENTS

Basic olive oil popped corn (see recipe)

3 tablespoons plain or extra-virgin olive oil

1 to 2 cloves garlic, cut into slivers

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil and garlic in small saucepan over medium heat until garlic is light golden; do not brown. Remove from heat; remove and discard garlic.

Blend in curry powder, cumin and salt. Stir or whisk until spices are dissolved. Set aside.

Pop corn as directed for basic olive oil popped corn.

Pour seasoning mixture over popcorn while tossing or stirring to coat evenly. Season with additional salt if desired. Pour onto parchment paper or clean paper bag to cool or serve immediately.

Buffalo wing spiced popcorn

Makes 10 to 12 cups

INGREDIENTS

Basic olive oil popped corn (see recipe)

3 tablespoons plain olive oil

1 large clove garlic, crushed and slivered (optional)

2 tablespoons (about 1/2 of a 1.6-ounce envelope) Original Buffalo Wings seasoning mix

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in small saucepan with garlic over medium heat until garlic sizzles. Remove and discard garlic. Remove from heat; add seasoning mix and stir or whisk to dissolve seasoning. Set aside.

Pop popcorn as directed for basic olive oil popped corn.

Pour seasoning mixture over popcorn while tossing or stirring to coat evenly. Continue to toss popcorn to evenly coat with mixture. Season with additional salt if desired. Pour onto parchment paper or clean paper bag to cool or serve immediately.

Caramel style corn

Makes 10 to 12 cups

INGREDIENTS

Basic olive oil popped corn (see recipe)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup oil

2 tablespoons whipping cream

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat oven to 250 degrees. Pop popcorn as directed for basic olive oil popped corn. Meanwhile, blend brown sugar, oil, whipping cream, corn syrup and salt in small saucepan. Cook and stir constantly over medium-low heat until mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.

Pour mixture over popcorn while stirring and tossing to coat. Continue to toss popcorn to evenly coat with mixture. Pour into large shallow baking pan(s) in shallow layer.

Bake 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes to set coating. Pour onto parchment paper or clean paper bag to cool completely. Break cooled popcorn into smaller clusters if desired.

Tip: If you are popping corn in a lightweight pan and need to shake the pan, the caramel mixture can be made after popcorn is popped.

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