I have a friend we call Puddinn’. (She’s from Georgia. It suits.) And I love when I go to her house to watch movies because she makes her special Parmesan Truffled Popcorn that is unreasonably delicious. (And butterless, to boot.) I’m putting this stuff in paper cones and serving for appetizers at my next dinner party, because people go mad for it. Mad, I tell you.
And she taught me how to make it. You ready?
Gather ingredients: Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese, Truffle salt ($28 at Williams-Sonoma, but will last you eons), and the popcorn of your choosing. I tried this Black Jewell also from Williams-Sonoma ($10), but I don’t recommend. It pops pure white, but good old Orville Redenbacher is fluffier. Note: Parmigiano-Reggiano is available at AJs, Trader Joe’s, and even Safeway now. Don’t buy any other kind of parmesan.
Use a microplane grater (like this), and grate a gloriously big pile of cheese. Like two cups. Yum.
Now, pop your popcorn – about 1/2 cup. Puddinn’ uses the Whirley Pop and a couple tablespoons of truffle oil from T.J. Maxx. ($12). She adores it. I just used a big pan on the stove, canola oil, and followed the directions on the popcorn jar. I need truffle oil. Now.
When your popcorn is finished hopping around in the pan, pour about a third of it into a big bowl. Top it with one third of the parmesan and a couple big pinches of truffle salt. Toss with your hands. Then add another layer of popcorn, more cheese, more salt. And finally, the last third. You might want more of the salt in the end.
Eat warm. Fight your boyfriend over the last bits. Go back to the stove and make another batch because he liked it so much. Consider replacing dinner with popcorn indefinitely.