A Trip to The Movies

I love popcorn. I always keep plenty of popcorn kernels, popping oil, and popcorn salt around so I can eat the warm, salty treat any time, day or night. Months ago I spent a day off from work playing around with popcorn in my kitchen and created a creamy and fluffy popcorn mousse. I thought hard about how I could use or feature the mousse in a dish.

I think it’s a safe bet that most Americans associate buttered popcorn with the movie theatre. So I thought of other treats that we enjoy when we go to the movies. I always get a cherry coke with my popcorn and when I want something sweet I reach for the Sno Caps or Sour Patch Kids. I wanted to incorporate all these elements into a cohesive dessert. The popcorn mousse is covered in a mixture of chocolate powder and white sprinkles (Sno Caps). There’s a red carpet of tangy raspberry puree with Sour Patch raspberries and blackberries. Finally, a grenadine foam tops the mousse and adds the Cherry Coke element.

Popcorn Mousse:

• Popcorn Milk:
  • 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
  • 2 Tb. popping oil
  • 1 tsp. popcorn salt
  • 1 quart whole milk
• Mousse:
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 30 g sugar
  • 40 g cocoa butter
  • 3 sheets gelatin
  • 200 g sweetened whipped cream

  Begin by making the popcorn milk. Pop the kernels with the oil and salt. Bring the milk to a simmer and add the popcorn. Simmer for 5 minutes then blend the mixture. Pass through a chinois or fine mesh strainer. Discard the remaining solids

  Measure 250 g of this popcorn milk and to it add the egg yolk and sugar. Cook over low heat until slightly thickened. The mixture should coat the back of a spoon. Remove the mixture from the heat and begin blooming the gelatin in cold water. Slowly whisk the cocoa butter into the popcorn mixture. Finally, add the bloomed gelatin and whisk until completely dissolved. Pour the mixture onto a sheet pan and cool in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or until set.

  When the mixture has set, transfer it to a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and whip to a smooth consistency. Carefully fold in the whipped cream.

  To form a tube of mousse, lay a large piece of plastic wrap onto a clean work surface. Pour about 1/6 of the popcorn mousse in the middle and fold the plastic over the mousse. Carefully pinch the mousse between the plastic while tapering and twisting the ends of the plastic wrap. Roll the tube forward, holding the plastic by the ends while firmly rolling up the remaining plastic. The air trapped inside with create a perfectly round log of mousse. Freeze the logs.

  Chocolate Powder:

  • 100 g dark chocolate
  • 40 g unsalted butter
  • 100 g tapioca maltodextrin*
  • Pinch salt

  Carefully melt the butter and chocolate together until smooth. Add the tapioca maltodextrin and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Turn the processor on and drizzle the chocolate-butter mixture into the tapioca maltodextrin. Scrape the sides of the bowl to loosen any unincorporated chocolate or maltodextrin. The powder should be very light and fluffy, not grainy at all.

  Grenadine Foam:

  • 100 g grenadine
  • 3 g Versawhip*

  Combine the grenadine and Versawhip in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip for 2 minutes on high or until the mixture reaches stiff peaks.

  Raspberry Puree:

  • 1 cup fresh raspberries
  • Pinch salt
  • Sugar, to taste

  Puree raspberries until smooth. Add a pinch of salt and any sugar if the raspberries are not sweet enough. The puree should be slightly tangy. Pass the puree through a chinois or fine mesh strainer to remove any seeds.

  Sour Patch Berries:

  • 3 Tb granulated sugar
  • 1 Tb. citric acid
  • Cooking oil spray, as needed
  • Fresh raspberries and blackberries

  Mix together the sugar and citric acid. Lightly spray the berries with a bit of vegetable oil. Dredge the berries in the sugar-acid mixture to create a light coating of granules.

  To Assemble and Serve:

  • Frozen popcorn mousse
  • Chocolate powder
  • 1/4 c. white sprinkles
  • Raspberry puree
  • Grenadine foam
  • Sour Patch berries

  Carefully remove the plastic from the frozen mousse. Place the chocolate powder into a loaf pan or onto a plate. Lightly roll the mousse in the chocolate powder, creating an even coating of powder. After the chocolate powder, coat the mousse in white sprinkles in a similar manner. Cut the mousse logs into 1 inch long pieces and place on a sheet pan. Place in the refrigerator to thaw.

  Lay a broad line of raspberry puree on the plate. Place 2 mousse sections on top of the puree and top with some grenadine foam. Finally, scatter the sour berries on the plate. Serve and enjoy!

  *Versawhip and tapioca maltodextrin can be purchased from a variety of online retailers, including Willpowder and L’Epicerie.

  

  Photos by Justin Kern.

  Share on Facebook