Emerald City Popcorn | A Literary Holiday Cookbook by Alison Walsh

       A Literary Holiday Cookbook by Alison Walsh comes out in one week (Sept. 8, 2020)! Alison is the creator of Alison's Wonderland Recipes and this is her second cookbook, the first being A Literary Tea Party. She is a clever food creator and has made some very fun creations based on classic literature over the years on her website. 

* Alison and I are sharing recipes from one another's cookbooks––I'll link to her post on Cook Anime when it goes up! *

          In her new cookbook, Alison shares dishes perfect for the holidays year round based on such stories as The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Hobbit, White Fang, Winnie the Pooh, A Christmas Carol, Redwall, The Chronicles of Narnia, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and more! The recipe I'm sharing today is for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, inspired by the Emerald City and the yellow brick road that leads you there.

          I've got to say, I had so much fun making this! It's the first time that I've popped popcorn in a pot on the stove and the pipping kernels had me giggling and jumping to keep them in the pot! I did have the lid mostly on as directed, but a few errant kernels leapt out; and I loved it! I like the concept of using pea crisps (you know, those pea pod-shaped airy crisps at the grocery store, maybe with the salad stuff or in the produce section) and crushing them up fine to coat the popcorn; it added a nice flavor. I also like the lightness of the coconut oil, the touch of matcha powder, and the kick from the wasabi peas!

If you'd like to purchase A Literary Holiday Cookbook, or would like to know more about it, visit Alison's website for info. and purchase links. 

* * FYI, another fandom cookbook that released today is Break an Egg: The Broadway Cookbook by Tara Theoharis, AKA The Geeky Hostess! This is her second book, proceeded by The Minecrafter's Cookbook!

Note: I didn't have any turmeric powder as required for the recipe (I could have sworn I had some!) so at the last minute I used curry powder instead. Turmeric would have given the popped corn a more vivid yellow color, but the curry wasn't a bad flavor addition!

Emerald City Popcorn

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons coconut oil, divided 

1/3 cup popcorn kernels 

1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric 

1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup pea crisps, crushed 

1/2 teaspoon matcha powder, optional (for added color)

1 cup wasabi peas 

Instructions: 

1. Melt 3 tablespoons coconut oil in a small bowl in the microwave and set aside. 

2. Add remaining coconut oil to a large saucepan with high sides and place over medium-high heat. Add 3 popcorn kernels and partially cover with lid. When all three kernels have popped, quickly pour in all the remaining kernels in a single layer. Remove from heat for 30 seconds. Partially re-cover and place over medium-high heat, shaking gently until most of the kernels have popped and the popping sound has reduced to 1 pop every 5 seconds. Transfer immediately to a large bowl. Add reserved coconut oil and salt and toss until well combined. 

3. Transfer 3 cups popcorn to a medium bowl and stir in turmeric. 

4. Sprinkle crushed pea crisps into remaining popcorn and stir to combine. Stir in matcha powder. Return turmeric popcorn to the large bowl and add wasabi peas. Toss to combine.

Recipe from A Literary Holiday Cookbook by Alison Walsh, used with permission.