My take on an afogato: strong, boiling hot coffee with a gigantic scoop of pistachio ice cream. I know, afogato is served with vanilla. But there's nothing wrong with some flavor in your coffee, and I liked the crunchy nuts floating in the coffee.
Truffled popcorn. I pop my own popcorn on the stovetop, using a gallon-sized pot with a glass lid. That way I don't have to worry about buying microwave popcorn that's trans-fat free. Popping popcorn on the stove takes about a minute longer than in the microwave, and I feel like I burn fewer kernels and end up with fewer unpopped kernels. Here's a step by step using a gallon-sized pot. Adjust if you have a smaller pot:
- Put at least two tablespoons of oil, butter, or flavored oil in the pot. You can certainly use up to five tablespoons for added flavor, but use at least two even if you're going for a low fat option.
- Turn the heat to medium high. You might have to experiment on your stove to see what works best.
- Add one kernel to the oil and put the lid on the pot. You don't need to have a glass lid, but it makes things much, much easier.
- When the single kernel pops, your oil is hot enough. Pour in half a cup of unpopped kernels. Less is better than more here, since you don't want to overflow your pot.
- It helps to have a second person here. While swirling the pot, throw in a handful of extra fine salt. You can put regular salt in a blender or buy popcorn salt (why on earth would you?).
- Do the above two steps quickly and get the lid back on the pot as quickly as possible. Using oven mits, grab the pot, hold the lid in place, and shake the pot back and forth on the stove without losing contact with the flame.
- The popcorn will start popping pretty quickly. Take the lid off once or twice for no more than a second during popping to let out some steam.
- Pour into a ready bowl when the kernels stop popping. Toss with cheese, chopped parsley, or other herbs if you want.
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