Pop Culture Popcorn

For brown butter , rosemary, and lemon flavoring
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• Finely ground sea salt, preferably gray salt

Select one of the flavoring mixtures and have all the ingredients for it assembled before you begin to pop the corn.

Then, to pop the corn, combine the unpopped kernels and the oil in a heavy 4-quart saucepan. If you will be using a savory flavoring, use olive oil, and if you will be using the chocolate and orange zest flavoring, use vegetable oil.

Place the pan over medium-high heat and when the kernels start to pop, cover tightly and continue to cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until all the kernels pop, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the popcorn into a large bowl, and then make the flavoring.

Brown Butter: Making brown butter is an important technique to master. Always add the butter to a cold pan and then place it over the heat. As the butter melts, do not move the pan for about 2 minutes, or the butter may brown prematurely. Keep a close eye on it, too. The butter will foam and then the foam will subside. When that happens, the butter will be nicely browned and have a nutty aroma. Remove the pan from the heat before adding the other ingredients.