Savoury/Sweet Popcorn with Cashews and Sesame Seeds

Here’s another Valentine’s Day special from the winter issue of the LCBO Food and Drink magazine.



Ingredients:

- 8 cups of popped corn (it must be au naturel)
- 1 cup of brown sugar (packed)
- ½ cup of butter ( that’s 1 stick)
- ¼ cup of corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- 2 teaspoons of minced or grated fresh ginger
- 1 cup of toasted, salted cashews
- 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame seeds

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F., then grease a large roasting pan and spread the popped corn evenly in the pan. Combine the brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, and soy sauce in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook it over a medium heat (stirring) until the mixture comes to a boil. Continue to cook for 2 minutes without stirring, then remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the baking soda. (Prepare for a chemical reaction). When the mixture calms down, stir in the ginger. Drizzle this caramel over the popcorn, then add the cashews and stir until all of the ingredients are evenly coated. Spread the mixture evenly in the pan and place it in the oven for 15 minutes. At this point, stir the mixture again, and return it to the oven for another 5 minutes. Remove the corn from the oven, sprinkle it with the sesame seeds and stir once more. Let the mixture cool for at least 5 minutes before breaking into smaller pieces. Let the corn cool completely before storing it in an airtight container. Should taste good for up to a week.

Dave, have you ever considered a career as a 'hand model'?