Garlic Thyme Popcorn

I still had a lot of fresh thyme left after making the Caramelized Onion and Swiss Chard Quiche so when I saw this recipe on Gilt Taste, I got really excited.  I already had all the ingredients, and I love popcorn!

 
Well, I had all the ingredients except for the duck fat.  =(  But I remember reading somewhere that popping corn in coconut oil was really delicious, so I used that instead for the popping oil and used substituted butter for the dressing.  You can't go wrong with butter on popcorn, right?

 
Garlic Thyme Popcorn (based on Francis Lam's recipe)
Makes 2 quarts, enough for 2-4 people as a serious snack

3 tablespoons butter
7 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves stripped and chopped (about 1 tablespoon leaves)
1-2 garlic cloves, smashed (1 is lovely and balanced, 2 is more heady)
1 1”x2” strip orange peel
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/3 cup popping corn
Fine salt, to taste
Grated orange zest, to taste, for garnish

In the smallest saucepan you have, melt the butter over very low heat. Add about 2/3 of the thyme leaves, the thyme stems, garlic, and orange peel and gently infuse for 12-15 minutes. If the butter gets hot enough to start sizzling more than just a whisper, take it off heat for a minute or two, then place it back on the heat.

Heat the coconut oil and 4 kernels of popcorn over medium-high heat in the 3-quart saucepan. Cover the pot.

Once the tester kernels have popped, add the rest of the corn and shake the pan so that they’re laying in one layer. Add a few pinches of salt, cover the pan, take it off the heat, and count to 30.

Put the pan back on the heat, and wait for some hot popping action. As it starts to go, gently shake the pan to let the unpopped kernels fall back to the bottom, and every few seconds lift the lid ever so slightly to let some steam escape. Once the popping slows to a few seconds between pops, turn off the heat and uncover the pot.

Taste a few pieces for salt. Sprinkle on some more salt, if needed. Remove the garlic cloves, thyme stems, and orange peel from the butter, and evenly spoon the “dressing” onto the popcorn, stirring and tossing to get an even coat. Taste the popcorn 2/3 of the way through the dressing; you may like it less dressed. Add remaining dressing if you’d like.

 

Finish popcorn by sprinkling the remaining thyme leaves all over the top. Grate on a little more orange zest (I used a Microplane for this), and serve. It keeps in a covered container for 2-3 days. If you like, you can refresh it in a warm oven for a few minutes before serving.

I'd like to repeat that you should taste the popcorn after dressing it with 2/3 of the butter.  I forgot that step and added all the butter to the popcorn.  It was definitely too much for me, which is saying a lot, considering how much I like buttered popcorn.