Caramelised Pineapple & Chilli Popcorn

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 2
• 500 ml pineapple juice
• 25 g butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon dried chili
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 40 g popcorn, popped

Recipe

• 1 to make the pineapple syrup, pour the pineapple juice into a frying pan or wok (the wider the base, the better). heat on a medium temperature, swirling the pan regularly to ensure that it doesn’t burn at the bottom.
• 2 do this until most of the liquid has evaporated and you’re left with about a tablespoon of intense pineapple syrup that has the consistency of honey. this might take up to an hour, so it’s worth starting early and perhaps pouring yourself a glass of wine.
• 3 pop the butter in a saucepan along with the sugar, salt and chilli. heat on a low-medium temperature, stirring regularly to help the sugar to dissolve.
• 4 once the mixture has thickened to a consistency similar to lemon curd, reduce your stirring and bring it slowly to the boil until bubbles start to appear all over the surface.
• 5 once it starts bubbling, leave it to caramelise for 3 minutes without stirring. the colour will start to darken.
• 6 while waiting for the caramel to cook, fill a tablespoon with the pineapple syrup, so that it is ready to add to the mixture. make sure that your popcorn is also ready and waiting in a big bowl that has plenty of room for some vigorous stirring.
• 7 after 3 minutes, take the caramel mixture off the heat and add the tablespoon of pineapple syrup to the frying pan, stirring it inches.
• 8 immediately pour the mixture over the popcorn, stirring quickly to ensure that the popcorn is evenly coated before the caramel cools and hardens.
• 9 put the popcorn on a baking tray and place it in the oven at 100°c for 30 minutes to evaporate off any remaining liquid and allow it to become deliciously crisp.
• 10 take the popcorn out of the oven and leave it to cool.
• 11 sit back and enjoy – perhaps paired with an elegant sauternes while dreaming of azure seas, golden beaches and palm trees swaying gently in the breeze.
• 12 from thepopcornist.com.