I’m trying to figure out why popcorn flavors are so exciting to me and I realized it’s probably because they are more likely to be sweet and salty than many other snacks. The best treats are both; just one is boring without the other. Good popcorn understands this.
Snacks have taken on supersized importance in my life while I am nursing a baby. You cannot imagine the amount of food this poor infant has had dropped on her head in her short time on earth while I attempt to fuel us both simultaneously. I read that breastfeeding burns the same amount of energy as walking seven miles a day, which is good because it is the extent of my fitness routine these days.
Do you know who else would like to connect eating popcorn with a fitness routine? Khloe Kardashian, whose Khloud protein popcorn caused a bit of a stir in the online food world when it launched last spring. It was an innocent time before even the foam on our coffee wasn’t safe from getting protein-maxxed, so the people wondered if popcorn needed to be gym bro-ified. Was that in popcorn’s job description?
Personally I’m in a place where I appreciate protein and fiber in any non-offensive way I can get them. So I tried the original three flavors and, no surprise, the salty-sweet kettle corn was my favorite. But over the holidays Khloud released a new flavor that is the best by far, cinnamon roll, calling it “a cozy classic reimagined with nostalgic, swirling sweetness and a protein crunch.”
Well, okay. I would personally describe it as “kettle corn, with cinnamon.” I don’t know that it evokes a baked good so much, but cinnamon rolls are viral gold these days so I can’t blame them for trying to khozy up to the trend. Here are Khloe and Kendall showing off how desserts can coexist with your abs if you just eat them in popcorn form.
Lest you think the Kardashians are the only sisters pushing the envelope of what popcorn can and can’t do, allow me to introduce you to Party Of. It’s a “party of” four sisters from Thailand who make these crazy delicious Pad Thai and Thai Chili Lime popcorn flavors. Thai lime and chili cashews from Trader Joe’s, which are universally recognized as elite, walked so that Party Of popcorn could fly.
And this packaging?! I’m sorry but they’ve left everyone else in their (non-protein) dust.
Getting even fancier, I cannot leave you without telling you about my favorite restaurant dessert I’ve had in a long time. It was at Cuna, the new-ish restaurant by Chef Maycoll Calderón at The Standard in the East Village. I went to the opening party there last fall, which had an excellent band and was packed with beautiful people throwing sharp modely-looking elbows for small bites on platters that never made it more than a few steps out of the kitchen before disappearing.
I went back for dinner recently to try more of the menu and that’s when I had it: corn cake with caramel, candied popcorn, peanuts, and caramel ice cream. Oh my god.
Chef Maycoll spent 13 years living and cooking in Mexico City, and said he was inspired by the corn desserts that are common there when developing this ode to corn, at whose temple I worship. When I asked about it over email, he wrote back:
“We start with a warm, tender cake inspired by the texture of pan de elote, but with the richness you expect from a New York restaurant. Then we add cajeta, the slow-cooked goat’s milk caramel that brings depth and nostalgia. A touch of mezcal gives the dessert smokiness and complexity, enough to make it interesting without taking over.
The New York part of the story comes through the caramelized popcorn and peanuts. Popcorn is everywhere here: on street carts, in bars, at the movies. It felt natural to use it as a bridge between the two cities, adding playfulness and texture. And finally, the caramel ice cream ties everything together the second it hits the warm cake.”
If you like the idea of Cracker Jacks but wish they were better… this dessert is IT. It haunts my dreams. I actually don’t tend to like caramel but the cajeta is tangy thanks to that goat milk and it all just works perfectly.
I made it all the way to the end of this post without including the Corn Kid, but just know, I wanted to.
Have a corntastic day.