Tinfoil Chef

When I saw this one in my recipe collection I couldn’t help but stop and check it out since I’ve been a fan of the space program from way back. (how far back? Well, I stayed up to watch Armstrong’s first moonwalk on tv back in ’69.) Anyway, I couldn’t help but wonder if popcorn of any variety would be allowed on a spacecraft, since it tends to crumble and make for lots of small pieces that would float around in zero-G and mess up lots of things. But this variation might just be ok. Now all they need is a wide screen tv, a stack of movies and some kind of home theater chairs made for the space shuttle (or the lunar base people have been talking about forever).

Start by buttering a large baking pan and fill it with 8 cups of popped popcorn.

Then in a separate pan, combine a half cup of sugar, a half cup of Tang (powdered orange drink originally made for the space program for those too young to remember it.) a third of a cup of light corn syrup, a third of a cup of water and a quarter cup of butter.

Stir this mixture over a medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until it reaches 250 degrees on a candy thermometer. Then remove it from the heat and stir in a half teaspoon of orange extract and a teaspoon of baking soda.

Pour this mixture over the popcorn and mix well. Bake at 200 degrees for an hour, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool completely.

Technorati Tags: astronaut popcorn, baking, recipe, popcorn

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