Candy Cap Caramel Popcorn
Candy cap is a bit of an anomaly in the mushroom world in that it is primarily sweet tasting, not very savory.
The recipe is fairly straightforward: pop some popcorn, make a simple, stove-top caramel sauce, coat the popcorn with the caramel sauce and then bake at a low temperature for about 30 minutes. Easy! During my first tests I used a candy thermometer but I don’t think that it is necessary. Just look at the thickness of the caramel before you coat the popcorn. If it is still a little soft, after you bake the caramel corn simply put it back into the oven for a few more minutes.
I couldn’t help myself. I had to add miso. I decided to double down and use Sweet Corn Miso from my friends at Shared Cultures. It’s amazing but it will still be amazing if you use regular white miso or plain ol’ salt.
Ingredients
Popcorn:
10 c (about 100g) popped popcorn (air-popped or stove-top)
Caramel:
¾ c (150 g) brown sugar
¼ c water
¼ c (75 g) maple syrup
2 tsp white miso
½ tsp salt (or use 1 ½ tsp salt if you aren’t using miso)
6 Tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter
⅛ tsp baking soda
Optional: additional salt to taste
Directions
Heat the oven to 250°F (120°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Place popcorn in a large mixing bowl and set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, water, maple syrup and candy cap mushroom powder. Cook until dissolved, about 5 minutes, stirring periodically. The caramel should be thick but still pourable.
Add the butter miso and salt. Stir until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixture is homogenous. Some very small pieces of miso are fine.
Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. It may bubble slightly.
Quickly pour the caramel over the popcorn, tossing with a spatula to coat evenly.
Spread popcorn onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. The caramel will become a deeper brown.
Cool completely before eating or it may be soggy.
Yield: about 10 c of popcorn