I've been sick lately (sinusitis & bacterial infection - you don't want to know, trust me) which has forced me to be home more than usual. On this Thursday night, a night usually reserved for going to our favorite French restaurant Garcon, I stayed home by myself and had movie night. I have been thinking of France a lot lately, and realizing that it was Francois Truffaut's birthday, I thought that a night of New Wave cinema would be the perfect night in.
Determined to make my living room as much like a movie theater as possible, I turned off the lights and fired up the DVD player, setting the TV screen to "Cinema". What was missing was popcorn. Now, I am not a huge fan of microwave popcorn - the kernels taste like styrofoam coated in plastic to me. But I really hadn't considered any other methods. I knew I had some corn kernels, and oil, and a pan...and soon realized that home-style popcorn was right in front of me. I read the directions on the package, got out a nonstick pan with a lid, and started the process.
It was remarkably easy. 2 Tablespoons of Canola oil to 1/3 cup popcorn. Heat oil and popcorn on medium, with a lid on top, tilted to let steam escape. Shake pan occasionally. Stop cooking when the popping stops.
It worked perfectly. Not one burnt kernel and not one left unpopped. It tasted great right out of the pan, but my husband reminded me that we had recently gotten some truffle oil to use on pizzas, and he knows that I love truffle oil popcorn, ever since having it at Supperclub a few years ago. I drizzled a small amount on the warm popcorn, added sea salt, and gave it a good shake. I loved the idea because of the similarity of the words "Truffaut" and "truffle" - accidental little details like that make me so happy sometimes! (yes, yes, I realize that all of this hermit time has made me a little bit insane...)
It was delicious! I happily munched away through "The Last Metro" and didn't have that awful sick feeling that I normally have after eating microwave popcorn. In fact, I felt so good that I watched "Jules and Jim" right afterwards - a double feature.
I was so pleased with the simplicity of the process - no fancy equipment, a minimum of ingredients, and hardly any cleanup. I can't wait to try different toppings, too. You can bet that this popcorn will be served at our next party - I even have the red & white cardboard boxes that I bought on whim awhile back.
(I would LOVE to hear any suggestions for popcorn toppings. Tell me all of your favorites!!)
When you consider the cost of a movie and popcorn in the theater, versus a night in, I think this is yet another way to combat this nasty recession. In fact, my friend Lisa recently told me that two industries that are doing well right now are movie rentals and alcohol. Right after I get off of these antibiotics, I will add adult beverages to movie night and the new Thursday night may be born.
