Serious Mealtimes / Vicky Wasik
| Channel | Publish Date | Thumbnail & View Count | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
 Culinary Ginger | 2017-11-29 18:43:19 |  151 Views |
Apple Cider Caramel Popcorn
I’ve lost track of time since I moved to California because there aren’t many seasonal signs. When I moved west from New York and shoved my down jacket in the back corner of a closet someone said that February is usually “a pretty nice month.” I think I snorted that idea it was so strange. While my childhood costumes had to fit under turtlenecks back east we get invited to sunny Halloween picnics in the park all the time. A few friends have started a tradition of marking the hottest days of summer—which usually fall in late September or early October—by staying outside and getting sunburned and drunk at the local oyster farm. One annual oyster-eating afternoon bleeds into another. My husband and I both quit our jobs we had a baby and I’m almost done writing my first book. I’m not 30 anymore but I have to count how many years have passed. A life without winters does that to you.
I’m happy to leave that down jacket in the closet but these days I long for the rituals of winter. In the dark early evenings of December carols from storefronts and twinkling lights in bay windows cheer me; on a cool windy day I light a fire and tuck my knees and toes into a blanket with a hot drink in my hand.
Adapted from a recipe by Shige Kabashima of ROKC in New York this one is both a little bit nostalgic and a little bit trendy and maybe the two almost balance each other out. I’m not sure it matters. All I know is that it’s tasty and comforting. The steam from the cider and bourbon together gives the drink some zing; each sip is a thermal blanket for your lungs. But there’s more of course; the bourbon is flavored with caramel popcorn which gives the combination a rich toasty note and a hint of butter that you sustain by floating a little pat of butter in each mug. (Hey they do it with rum all the time.)
