Miso Caramel Popcorn

Pair with Paso Robles Zinfandel

If you like umami flavors with a little crunch, you won’t want to miss this! This recipe was adapted by our in-house chef at Monte Bello, Kathy Martinich. She took inspiration from a recipe by The Heirloom Pantry blog.

Yield: 4

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons neutral cooking oil
½ cup popcorn kernels
8 tablespoons butter
8 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1½ tablespoons white miso paste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

Prepare oven and baking sheet

Preheat the oven to 250°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Make popcorn

In a large pot with a thick bottom (e.g. dutch oven), combine oil and popcorn kernels. Place the lid on the pot and cook on medium heat. Listen for the popcorn to pop. Once the popcorn pops slow down with a couple of seconds between each pop, remove it from heat, and give the pot a shake to pop any remaining kernels. Let the pot sit covered for another 30 seconds and set aside while you make the caramel sauce. Alternatively, use an air popper.

Make caramel sauce

In a saucepan, add butter, light corn syrup, dark brown sugar, miso paste, and salt and cook on low heat. Stir the ingredients with a silicone spatula to break down the miso paste. Once the ingredients are combined, increase the heat to medium and cook untouched until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture is smooth, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in vanilla extract and baking soda. The mixture will bubble and turn light brown.

Coat popcorn

Transfer the popcorn to a large mixing bowl. Pour half of the caramel mixture onto the popcorn and use a silicone spatula to fold the mixture into the popcorn. Use the spatula to scrape the bottom of the bowl to coat every piece of popcorn. Pour the remaining caramel onto the popcorn and fold the mixture until every piece of popcorn is evenly coated.

Bake the popcorn

Transfer the coated caramel popcorn onto the lined baking sheet. Use the silicone spatula to gently spread the popcorn to form a single layer. Place the baking sheet onto the middle rack in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes and stir every 15 minutes. Close the oven door when stirring so the heat does not escape.

Remove and break apart

Remove the tray from the oven, let the popcorn cool, and then break apart the pieces before enjoying.