Purée-fication: crab cakes with popcorn purée

I hate secrets, especially food secrets.

What is Coca Cola's secret formula?  Why does Heinz ketchup taste so much better than any competing brand?  What is the Colonel's secret blend of herbs and spices?  And how the hell do you make Moto's popcorn purée?

My answers are: marketing; wish I knew but think this article is perhaps the most interesting analysis I've ever read about ketchup or any other topic; not sure, but I think it includes MSG; and someone please tell me because that sauce is addictive.

Yes, ever since our meal at Moto I've been unable to get popcorn puree out of my mind.  Every so often I drift off into a reverie, pondering how to reproduce that sauce -- the toasted background flavour, and those powerful salty and buttery notes.  It's movie theatre popcorn ambrosia.  My one and only taste was a tiny golden pool in a dish of snow crab with a passion fruit noodle, which is not a lot to go on.  I was so taken, I even asked our server how to make it.  Her reply was simplicity itself: "popcorn, milk, and a lot of butter."

I should have pressed for more detail about the recipe because I'm not entirely happy with my version, but I doubt it would have gotten me anywhere.  Homaro Cantu, the prodigy behind Moto, is especially secretive about his techniques and recipes.  One can't even cook in his kitchen without signing a non-disclosure agreement.

His stance has me contemplating how far chefs can and should go to protect recipes.  However you parse it, the issue boils down to your perspective on what a recipe represents.  Is it, like the formula for Coke, a trade secret, or is a recipe a different animal entirely, similar instead to a work of art, a song, or a book?  Perhaps it's none of these; maybe it should be viewed as little more than an idea, a currency that only has value if it's shared, translated into something concrete.  Once tasted, it's open to recreation and adaptation, so it might even mature and improve.

The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle, though I lean towards the view that recipes are analogous to a song or book.  Like its creative kin, a recipe is a product of imagination and creativity, and many stimulate thought and discussion as they perform their task of satisfying appetite.  It can be, in other words, art.  But the genius of a recipe is that it's an artwork that demands so much more from its consumer.  It depends on the cook to transform the abstraction of the written word into a tangible dish, an active shared experience.

Or not.  Because the person preparing a recipe, unlike the reader digesting static words from a page, has the ability to modify the recipe as they see fit.   Whether this is an act of enhancement or defacement is an open question -- imagine, however, walking into an art gallery and adding a touch of red to a painting to make it better suit your taste.  Benign or not, this ability to adapt creates a unique bond between the writer of the recipe and the creator of the dish.

Having written that, I now ask myself, "So what?"  What I'm driving at, I guess, is that sharing recipes is meaningful and, at least from my philosophical perspective, good.  And not just good karma, either, it's also good business.  It seems counterintuitive, but chefs seem to become more popular when they share (read, give away) recipes, not less. The truth is, recipes are incredible marketing tools.  By keeping recipes to ourselves, we push people away.

Have you noticed the increasing number of chefs on TV demonstrating recipes from books that they then make available online gratis?  By sharing their recipes, they've expanded their reach.  Cherished family recipes handed down through the generations are similar: one can retain the stamp of Grandma, passing knowledge of her to offspring who may only ever know her indirectly through her food.  Ina Garten and Nigella Lawson have made millions off the strategy.  I even relied on it for the crab cake recipe I served with my attempt at homemade popcorn purée.

Mildred Pierce is a landmark Toronto restaurant that will soon be closing its doors.  Donna Dooher, the chef/owner, enjoyed fifteen minutes of televised fame via her show, The Cookworks, in which she showcased her wonderful dishes, including a spectacular crab and shrimp cake.  The key to the cake is the shrimp.  There are no fillers here, just crab, shrimp, herbs, spices, and, surprisingly, diced jicama.  The result is a meaty, pungent crab cake with lots of crunch.

It seemed like the perfect foil to my version of popcorn purée, for which I tried to adapt the one sentence of instruction I received at Moto into a full blown recipe.  It's not easy.  I started by steeping popcorn in a mixture of hot milk and cream, a formula that has worked well for me in my attempts to make donut soup and sticky toffee pudding ice cream.  Adding parmesan is an old Italian technique that adds a subtle richness and savour.  I then blended, strained, and reheated the mixture with a lot of butter and salt.

The result is very good -- especially the texture, which is especially lush and velvety -- but it lacks the same intensity of flavour as Moto's version, which has a fuller taste and a more obvious popcorn flavour.  Rachel and I also found that the flavour of the sauce was washed out a bit when paired with the crab cakes, which have powerful ginger and kaffir lime notes.  In hindsight, I'm sure I should have oil-popped my corn, but I also clearly need to find a way to add some oomph to this sauce.

I'm open to suggestion.  And, since I'm publishing my recipe, I hope some of you take it upon yourselves to take this sauce, play with it, and turn it into a work of art all your own.

POPCORN PUREE

650ml 2% milk
100ml 35% heavy cream
1/3 cup kernels
40g parmesan rind
45g butter (approx. 4 tbsp)
1 1/2 tsp salt

Use the kernels to make popcorn, and discard any kernels that do not pop.

Bring milk, cream, and parmesan rind to a simmer over medium heat.  Remove from heat, stir in popcorn, cover, and let sit for 20 minutes.

Remove rind, puree popcorn using blender, strain back into saucepan, and return heat to medium.  When hot, add butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly, until thick.

Add salt to taste.  Serve.

Comments

[Erielle]

What if you tried microwave popcorn?

Just kidding. Wouldn't that be funny if microwave popcorn was the secret? Like the folks at Moto would ever admit to that, even if it was true.

Popcorn purée sounds delicious. I love making purées out of random ingredients. Like just now I had a sudden urge for a roasted beet purée. Even though I have never had a roasted beet purée, all of a sudden I want it. Maybe I will make a secret recipe for roasted beet purée and then publish my secret recipe on the internet.

[Scott at Realepicurean]

Fabulous. Your blog is giving me new views on modern food - and quite often moral dilemmas to go with it. Is it the way forward, or unnecessary meddling?

Certainly there's a fine line which you seem to balance on perfectly.

[cookiecrumb]

Ok, you're funny. This is very funny. I love it. I'll be 'sperimentin', cuz you've turned me on. Wow.
Now: Haven't you heard the rumor that the flavor of KFC (the 11 herbs and spices) comes from those old foil packets of Good Seasons Italian Dressing, which listed exactly 11 herbs and spices in their ingredients?
Today the ingredients list is "Sugar, Salt, Sodium Citrate, Garlic, Onion, Spice, Red Bell Peppers, Carrots, Xanthan Gum, Maltodextrin (From Corn), Parsley, Natural Flavor, Guar Gum, Citric Acid" but you could easily eliminate a few of the lab monsters and still come up with 11.

[Freya]

I love your blog, it's always so thought-provoking. Not sure if it would help at all or even be relevent to the popcorn puree but have you considered making a Gumbo style roux, browning flour and oil together? This always gives a strong popcorn aroma so it's worth a try!

[del Grosso]

Rob
My take on the secrecy issue is less ambivalent than yours I think. Most of the TV chefs and cookbook authors are demonstrating recipes that in one way or another been in the repertoire for decades and, in many cases, centuries. In other words they are taking the work of others and spinning it as their own (You might call it plagiarism). Moreover they are usually not using any proprietary technology or techniques to produce the recipes.

For example. At Otto , Mario's crew makes the pizza on a flat-top. That's a unique spin but since the pizza is essentially the same thing that's been made for centuries and the flat-tops are ubiquitous it'd be pointless for him to try to "own" this recipe.

Homaru Cantu, on the other hand, is developing unique ways to prepare food based on technologies that have not been used outside of the industrial food world and labs. He's also spending a lot of time and money to find unique ways to combine ingredients -some of which will doubtless make their way into a larger commercial forum. He'd be nuts to give all that away. It'd kind of be like Edison inviting in the press to watch his crew develop the light bulb.

[Kendall Collingridge]

Have you tried doing your popcorn in oil? One restaurant i worked at cooked it like that and it was amazing, just like at the movies.
But why don't you try adding more popcorn? or something to help hold it together more (emulsifier?) all that cream and butter sounds like it might split on you.
I look forward to hearing more on your recipe..
Thanks.

[bea at La tartine gourmande]

This is a very interesting recipe, as always on the blog Rob, of course. I tell you, I think you are somehow like a food chemist. And I mean it in the good way, of course.

[jules]

Rob, agree with you 100% about recipes and sharing...it just doesn't make sense to be closed about such things.
Not so sure about this whole popcorn puree thing but am willing to take your word on it.

[Susan from Food "Blogga"]

Another delicious and thought-provoking post. As for suggestions, I agree about using oil next time, and you might consider adding Thai basil to the sauce.

[rob]

Erielle, it wouldn't surprise if something like microwave popcorn were the secret. Like I said, the puree at Moto had a distinctly movie theatre popcorn-like taste. Something tells me that's the results of some kind of flavouring.

Thanks, Scott, you're way too kind. In the end, however, I think the only line that counts is taste. If the end product tastes good, then whatever meddling has occured is surely justified, yes?

cookiecrumb, I'd never heard that rumour. The rumour I'd heard was that there are really only three ingredients: salt, pepper, and MSG, and that the 11 herbs and spices nonsense is just marketing. Given some of my experiments, I actually have xanthan and guar gum in my pantry. I never thought to try them on fried chicken, however.

Freya, I know where you're coming from with the roux, it does have a very distinct popcorn-like flavour. I have my doubts that it's what I'm looking for, however. The sauce in the Moto photo is a golden colour. Wouldn't the roux have be a lot darker than that to develop the sort of flavour we're talking about here?

del Grosso, I think I understand the differentiation your making between Cantu's cooking and that of other chefs. It's a very good point. As someone with a software background, however, I think there is value to be had in going "open source," for lack of a better term. More eyes means a higher quality product in the long run, and it often leads to products that are heavily used and widely distributed both inside and outside the communities from which they originate. There is a momentum to this process that can ultimately benefit the originator more -- in terms of both reputation and payout -- then keeping the technology under wraps. It goes beyond that, however. Going public with recipes forces chefs to continuously develop new dishes; it's a spur to innovation.

Kendall, I think I'm going to have to try cooking the popcorn in oil. I'm not worried about the texture, however, that was one thing I thought I definitely got right.

I know you do Bea, and I appreciate the compliment. Thanks.

Jules, I'm glad you share the "open source" ethos about recipes, and I hope you take the plunge one day and give popcorn puree a shot. It may put your doubts to rest.

Thank you, Susan. Thai basil would actually be a very nice addition to the puree if I were to use it again with these crab cakes. It would certainly complement the ginger, cilantro, and kaffir lime flavours, wouldn't it?

[Joycelyn]

hi rob, it's always a treat to visit - i know i'll always be inspired, entertained and awestruck! i've been playing around with burnt caramel lately as a flavouring in both sweet and savoury recipes(caramel brought to just-beginning-to-smoke point, very deep amber but not yet mahogony) so excuse me for thinking that it may possibly be the secret ingredient... adding no discernible sweetness yet allowing the addition of more salt (or salted butter?)without tipping the balance, plus slighty smoky, toasty undertones...

[Vicki]

The May issue of Food and Wine has a recipe for "Sea Bass with Popcorn Ponzu". Chef Vongerichten pops corn, adds water, bonito flakes, chiles, rosemary, thyme and allspice, lets steep, strains, then adds soy and yuzu juice, served over sea bass. Seems like cooking with popcorn is the next big thing!

[dan]

If you want to increase your popcorn flavour you can buy popcorn flavour drops from a company in the UK called MSK supplies. I use it to flavour cotton candy in my restaurant and also to make panna cotta and gelato. I would guess that is what they are using in Moto.

[Chef John]

Have you thought about putting some popcorn into a dehydrator and drying it out enough to make a pwoder. Then you can fortify your original recipe with the powder to get more oomph.

[bob]

heres the secret....more popcorn....lot more popcorn...no steeping involved...straight puree with drawn butter, some acid paprika and little cream.... then blend, blend, blend

[bob]

oh and xanathan gum

[Eli]

while i can't make comments about the sauce in and of itself, as someone with a former popcorn obsession (a few months of working at a movie theater with an infinite free supply can cure that), i would defiantly recommend cooking it with oil, some of the best popcorn i ever had was made with coconut oil but that is not readily available here so i like to use a bit of light olive oil mixed with a dose of sesame oil to add a good depth of flavor.
for the "movie theater" style popcorn there is a product available in bulk food stores here ("bulk barn" in nova scotia) in the popcorn flavoring selection called "butter salt", sort of a deep orangey yellow salt based seasoning that is, as best i can tell, the exact same thing added with the un-popped kernels in the popcorn machine at the theater where i worked. the machine automatically pumped in the oil from large blue buckets it came in. it was just a bland peanut free vegetable oil blend.

[jefro]

Reading the comments and the article i mimicked your recipe but i doubled the popcorn and use a vitamix and strained thru a superbag though i've never been to moto i feel its pretty good

[Koshkat]

I am addicted to popcorn. That's why I've been looking for different ways to use it. I like the pureé idea.

Ok. How to add an extra popcorn kick to the mix? ("popcorn kick"... heheh... sounds like a Japanese animation...). Usually, some kernels won't pop, but would be crunchy and full of taste. Why don't you boil the milk with these kernels before adding the popcorn? And, come on... pop 'em on oil, it adds to the flavor and the texture. Heck, you can even add flavors to the oil too.

Here's another thing I've tried with the non-popping kernels: Popcorn salt! Take the ones that didn't pop but are kind of burn and grind them with salt. I usually add powdered potatoes (potatoes cut in small bits, fried untill dark brown and then powdered) to enhance the flavor.

Man... you just gave me ideas for an icecream. Thanks for the article.

93 93/93

[Koshkat]

And about the copyright debate:

Sure: Homaru has all the right to keep his technology in secrecy along with his recipes. So does Coca-Cola and oh, so many others...

But I don't think that's the issue: Whatever uses we give to this technology, well, that's our beeswax. Whatever interpretation we give to the results of their experiments is OURS. Sure, I keep making experiments on how to make edible paper, even when it'd been done before, but it's the process what leads me to new questions and experiments and recipes. Shit, I wish I had a laser and gallons of liquid nitrogen and tons of innovative emulsifiers and transmogrifying machines... but what's the use? Some things work as a novelty, some things will be repeated ad nauseam and only a few will be really innovative. I mean... do we REALLY want to see more foams? Pepto-Bismol foams? Pork lard caviar? Chocolate and broccoli Doritos? Foams on a stick? On a cone?

They have rights to their discoveries and they deserve the recognition... but it is up to us to choose how to use them. There's nothing new: only new points of view

[Koshkat]

Um... why the fudge my first post came as "jefro"?

[Mr. Gerbik]

Been playing with a similiar version of this at work recently.

truffled popcorn purée:

-Bloom microwave popcorn kernels in corn oil.
-add to 60% clarified butter 20% milk 20% heavy cream.
-reduce liquid by half on low heat
-remove from butter/cream mix and retain a little liquid.
-add popcorn into blender, kernels should be soft enough to blend easily
-mount with more microwaved popcorn
-slowly add butter/cream reserve as needed until you get the consistency you're looking for
-truffle oil to taste

[Levi]

Who mentioned coconut oil? At my restaurant we use it for our truffled popcorn and there's no comparison to regular popcorn. There's also no coconut flavor, per se. It simply gives the popcorn a rich, buttery, and, well, movie-theatre quality. I would definitely try using some. It's not that hard to find. Try a health food store (ironically enough).