"We need bags of caramel corn" is often a phrase I say for every special event, holiday, private dining dinner.
I think in my six plus years we have giving out more than we sell, I take with me everywhere doctors,
trips back home, to my friend in seattle, to the neighbors, I can't go anywhere now without having to bring caramel corn, my last hair cut has a trade for caramel corn. For me it's the act of doing something that no one else does I mean name me one other person who supplies a Diabetic Doctor with a sugar rush.
Every event we do as a restaurant has some sort of packaged goods to give out, but for me the caramel corn is the people request the most, we always have some bagged for when we give tours of the kitchen to customers its like a extra bonus to my new friends.
There is a couple things that make the caramel corn nice:
we use special popcorn called magic mushroom popcorn that pops round, instead of into a clover shape it allows for better coating of the caramel when mixing, doesn't break into pieces stays nice and light. I was watching the Food Network one night and it said Cracker Jacks uses this corn, so after a couple phone calls and some googleing we had a bag.
salt is key also I like a salt with a bigger grind than table salt we use Fleur Del Sel which is a french sea salt, that when you eat the caramel corn you get these pops of salt flavor than tones down the sweetness of the caramel.
you can't count out good quality ingredients also, we use butter, brown sugar, molasses, corn syrup, baking soda, salt, and roasted spanish peanuts, thats it no filler or preservatives, no artificial flavoring.
Allow the caramel to cook, when someone makes for the first time I need to watch because they feel like the sugar is cooked to high of a temperature but I make sure they stir the pot and take the temperature in multiple spots, some time the flame can really throw off your temp, then if you mix to early it will crystalize and then you have bird feed.
So when we get open I will need baggers because we are going to the streets of Henderson hardcore and I will have caramel corn stocked and ready to roll out. Maybe one bag to everyone in the city
Feel free to mail me some out here in the Bay!!