airing Popcorn and Wine Is a Winning Oscars Night Combination by Lisa Messinger on Creators.com

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airing Popcorn and Wine Is a Winning Oscars Night Combination

You may not be named in any thank you speeches or leave the gala with an armful of award statuettes, but a winning strategy for your Oscars viewing party would be to serve popcorn — that perennial film-favorite snack — paired with the sophistication of wine.

When Lynfred Winery, Illinois' oldest, largest, continually operating winery, offered a workshop on just that, the tasting sold out in an hour of its online posting. Christina Anderson-Heller, who taught the class, notes that pairing wine with snack foods is happening more now since the liquor has recently become so much "friendlier and more approachable."

Outlets like the popular Slash/Food blog, the Chicago Tribune and Better Homes and Gardens have also toasted the idea over the last few years and thrown in their recommendations, as have other wine experts.

Like much wine pairing, like often goes with like. Sweet caramel corn (or variations, like the caramel corn-peanut clusters recipe that follows) is excellent with a sweet prosecco or sparkling Italian wine, notes the specially assembled team at Better Homes and Gardens.

Anderson-Heller also likes sparkling wine or as an alternative, a dry brut-style champagne with sweet popcorn. Syrah is also "awesome," mentions Anderson-Heller, and for those with an especially sweet tooth, pair it with a cordial.

Here are some other potential performances worthy of applause:

— For buttery popcorn: Consider a buttery, oaky chardonnay, says the Better Homes and Gardens team. Slash/Food likes sparkling wine and suggests lightly heating the already buttered popcorn in the oven and then topping with a few drizzles of truffle oil.

— For cheese popcorn: "Just like its cheese equivalent, cheddar flavored popcorn meshes with a spicy zinfandel, syrah or merlot," writes Better Homes and Gardens. Merlot and cheese popcorn is Anderson-Heller's all-time favorite pairing.

She also has been a guest blogger for Garrett, the popular 60-year-old Midwest popcorn manufacturer with both local and online retailing that sells regular cheese popcorn and a limited-edition spicy cheese variety, as well as sweet selections.

To prepare your own fun cheesy blend, such as the cayenne-enhanced recipe below, consider purchasing cheddar cheese powder and using it like a spice on the popcorn, as well as in dishes like macaroni and cheese.

In fact, it's sold online from companies like The Spice House and The Great American Spice Co.

CHEDDAR CHEESE-CAYENNE POPCORN

3 tablespoons melted butter

1 / 4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon, cheddar cheese powder

1 / 4 teaspoon mustard powder

1 / 4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 cups popped popcorn

Salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

Yields 4 servings.

In a large bowl, combine the butter, cheddar cheese powder, mustard powder, cayenne pepper and the popcorn. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

-FoodNetwork.com

CARAMEL CORN-PEANUT CLUSTERS

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for oiling aluminum foil in baking pan

1 / 3 cup popcorn kernels

1 stick (1 / 2 cup) unsalted butter

1 1 / 2 cups packed light brown sugar

1 / 2 cup light corn syrup

3 / 4 teaspoon salt

1 / 2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup salted peanuts (5 ounces)

Yields about 12 cups.

Heat oil with 3 kernels in a 3-quart, heavy saucepan, covered, over moderate heat until 1 or 2 kernels pop. Remove lid, and carefully and quickly add remaining kernels, then cook, covered, shaking pan frequently, until kernels stop popping, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and uncover.

Line bottom of a large shallow baking pan with foil. Lightly oil foil. Melt butter in a 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat. Add brown sugar and corn syrup and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring, then boil, without stirring, until syrup registers 300 F on a candy thermometer, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat.

Using a wooden spoon or a heatproof spatula, stir salt and baking soda into syrup, and then quickly stir in peanuts and popcorn to coat. Immediately spread mixture in baking pan as thinly and evenly as possible. Cool completely, and then break into bite-size pieces.

-Epicurious.com

Photo courtesy of blog.garrettpopcorn.com

Lisa Messinger is a first-place winner in food writing from the Association of Food Journalists and the author of seven food books, including "Mrs. Cubbison's Best Stuffing Cookbook" and "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." She also writes the Creators News Service "Cooks' Books" column. To find out more about Lisa Messinger and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.