Every mouthful an explosion of flavors with this spicy, bourbon-laced caramel popcorn

Slowly, cautiously, we are emerging from our quarantine. It's still scary out there, but we social animals wither without time spent with friends and family. I've learned in these past few weeks that I'm less of an introvert than I had assumed. I've been craving face-to-face time. I'm not ready for people to come inside, but I'm lucky enough to have a backyard and patio where I can entertain another couple, safely socially distanced.

Popcorn can go high or low. I've been offered truffle popcorn at the Inn at Little Washington, served in small striped bags. And had the best and the worst popcorn at the movie theater, depending on when it was made. Ever tried sprinkling popped corn with nutritional yeast or cinnamon sugar? However it's spiced, it lends itself to clever individual-portion packaging for your cocktail hour.

Sure, put it in bowls, but how about small brown paper lunch bags that your kids have decorated? Maybe you have gift bags or tins left over from your holiday cookie swap. It looks as tantalizing and delicious in wide-mouth Mason jars as in red Solo cups with each guest's name written on the side.

On the patio, six feet apart and across our table, I set up two sets of chairs with small tables between. On each table were two cocktail glasses with garnishes, a stack of cocktail napkins, two water glasses and a jar of ice water. Earlier in the day, I had funneled a batch of martinis into individual swing-top bottles, storing them in the freezer. I filled four wide-mouth, quart-size Mason jars with popcorn. We set up the tables, sat down and waited for our friends to walk through the back gate.

It felt good to share the space. To talk without an Internet delay. To laugh and to enjoy silence. To look at the stars. We all felt renewed.

SPICY CARAMEL POPCORN

Every mouthful explodes with the sweetness of bourbon-laced caramel, the heat of gochujang, the salty smoke of crisp vegan bacon and the snap of freshly popped corn.

Notes: The caramel coating here will be more sparse than the commercially available caramel popcorn versions. Some won't look coated at all, but that will get sorted in the oven.

Gochujang, a spicy Korean chile paste with fruity overtones, can be found in the international aisle of many grocery stores, at Asian markets or online.

• 6 slices (3 ounces/85 grams) thick-cut smoked vegan bacon

• 1/3 cup (about 2 2/3 ounces/78 milliliters) vegetable, canola or another neutral oil

• 1 cup (8 ounces/226 grams) popcorn kernels

• 2 cups (8 ounces/226 grams) roasted, salted peanuts

• 12 tablespoons (6 ounces/170 grams) unsalted butter

• 1 cup (7 ounces/200 grams) lightly packed light brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce/30 milliliters) bourbon (optional)

• 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon gochujang paste or gochugaru chili powder (or piment d'Espelette, Aleppo pepper or cayenne pepper), to taste

Steps

Have your largest bowl (at least 8 quarts) available. Position a rack in the middle of the oven if two large, rimmed baking sheets can fit side by side. If not, place the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread out the bacon in a single layer. Cook the bacon 10 to 12 minutes, or until crisp. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees. Once the bacon is cool, chop into small pieces and set aside; reserve the rendered bacon fat on the baking sheet.

In a 5-quart pot over medium-high heat, add the oil and 3 popcorn kernels. Cover the pot and when the kernels pop, add the remaining popcorn. Remove the pot from the heat, cover and wait exactly 30 seconds.

Place the pot back on the heat, cover, and agitate the pan, shaking and shaking until the corn stops popping. Pour the popcorn into the bowl, then add the peanuts, bacon and about 1 tablespoon reserved bacon fat. Stir to combine.

Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

In a 3-quart saucepan with tall sides over medium heat, cook the butter, sugar and salt until boiling, increasing the heat slowly to medium-high or high, stirring continually and adjusting the heat so the caramel does not burn. It should take 10 to 12 minutes for the caramel to become dark amber. If you have a candy thermometer, the caramel should reach 265 degrees. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the baking soda. The caramel will bubble up; stir it down, add the bourbon, if using, and chile paste, and stir until smooth.

Place a slightly damp folded towel under the bowl to keep it from wiggling around. Holding the pan a little above the bowl of popcorn, peanuts and bacon, very slowly pour the caramel over the popcorn, pausing to stir as you pour. Use two long-handled wooden or silicone spoons to coat everything in caramel.

Divide the popcorn between the lined baking sheets and spread out the mixture without crowding. Do not use on a single pan. Transfer the sheets to the oven and bake for about 1 hour, until the caramel is no longer sticky. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, then break up any especially large chunks before serving.

Calories: 395; Total Fat: 29 g; Saturated Fat: 10 g; Cholesterol: 36 mg; Sodium: 457 mg; Carbohydrates: 23 g; Dietary Fiber: 4 g; Sugars: 6 g; Protein: 9 g.

JewishWorldReview.com publishes delicious -- mostly nutritious -- recipes. Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.

(COMMENT, BELOW)