Every year, the folks at Murphy’s bring interesting new treats to the Kentucky State Fair. In 2010, they had a fancy new liquid nitrogen set-up. I was excited to see what they were doing with Fair Food and liquid nitrogen.
Murphy’s was selling the Popcornsicle, a rapidly frozen popcorn ball on a stick. The popcornsicle was first featured at the Taste of Chicago in 2009, where it was made by Richard Blais, who was a Top Chef contestant. He used caramel and cheese corn for his creation. The Murphy’s version was available in a variety of flavors. I chose a basic unflavored popcorn ball.
The popcornsicle was everything I thought it would be: cold, crunchy and sweet. I liked a frozen popcorn ball better than one at room temperature. Growing up, an elderly neighbor always handed out homemade popcorn balls at Halloween and I remember them sticking to my teeth and becoming a gooey mess before I had finished eating it. Popcorn balls dipped in liquid nitrogen are totally different than the popcorn balls of my childhood, still overly sweet, still full of popcorn hulls to get stuck in your teeth but made even better with a quick dip in liquid nitrogen.
Disclosure: I did not pay for the popcornsicle, it was given to me by Murphy’s. The opinions expressed are my own.
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