POPCORN TRUFFLE
Serves 6
I love a simple ending to a meal, such as this one. This is just a little truffle—but it’s also interactive. In this playful dessert, we tried to imagine what it would be like if popcorn were popping right in your mouth.
A popcorn sorbet is frozen and dipped in buttery white chocolate, then allowed to thaw to create a liquid popcorn center. The white chocolate is loaded with popping sugar—otherwise known as Pop Rocks, which can be bought or created by pressurizing hot caramel in an ISI canister. For safety reasons, I wouldn’t recommend making it, although I would consider hiring someone else to do it while I ran as far away as I could. (Seriously, just use Pop Rocks.) The carbonated sugar pops and fizzles, creating the illusion that the popcorn is truly popping in your mouth.
POPCORN SORBET:
500 grams water
100 grams sugar
60 grams popcorn, popped
3.5 grams salt
CARAMEL POWDER:
200 grams sugar
50 grams water
TRUFFLE COATING:
200 grams white chocolate, chopped
50 grams unsalted butter
50 grams Caramel Powder
50 grams neutral Pop Rocks (see Sources, here)
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
Pacojet (see Sources, here) or ice cream maker
Liquid nitrogen (see Sources, here; optional)
Insulated cooler or dewar (optional)
POPCORN SORBET:
Place the water, sugar, popcorn, and salt in a blender and puree on high for 1 minute, until smooth. Strain the sorbet base through a fine-mesh sieve. Freeze in a Pacojet canister overnight in the freezer. The next day, run a full cycle of the Pacojet to spin the sorbet. Alternatively, you can freeze the base in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Line a chilled sheet pan with parchment paper. Use a small, bite-sized sorbet scoop to lay scoops of sorbet out on the prepared pan. Freeze for at least 3 hours, until solid, or dip the scoops into liquid nitrogen to set. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and store in the freezer until ready to coat.
CARAMEL POWDER:
Line a sheet pan with a silicone mat. Put the sugar and water in a medium saucepot and stir to combine and dissolve the sugar. Set over medium heat, refrain from stirring to avoid crystallizing the sugar, and bring up to 315°F. Cook until the caramel turns a light golden brown, watching it carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn. Pour the caramel out onto the prepared sheet pan. Let the sugar harden and cool. Break the caramel into small pieces, put them in a food processor or spice grinder, and grind to a powder. Sift the powder through a strainer to remove any large chunks. Store in an airtight container until ready to assemble.
TRUFFLE COATING:
Put the white chocolate, butter, and 50 grams of Caramel Powder in a double boiler—or a jury-rigged one with a stainless-steel mixing bowl set over a pot of water—and set over medium-high heat. Melt the butter and white chocolate, using a silicone spatula to stir. Be careful not to allow condensation from the double boiler to drip down into the chocolate mixture. Once the mixture is liquid and smooth, remove from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Once cool, add the neutral Pop Rocks and stir to combine.
Line a sheet pan with a silicone mat. Remove the frozen sorbet spheres from the freezer. Use a truffle fork or chocolate dipping tool to dip each scoop of Popcorn Sorbet into the white chocolate coating, and transfer them to the prepared sheet pan to set. Put the dipped truffles in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the sorbet to melt into a liquid before serving. Enjoy the liquid-center truffle in one bite.
