[1] Cranberry, pumpkin seeds, spices and a chocolate drizzle (recipe and photo © The Popcorn Board).

[2] Dried cranberries (photo © King Arthur Flour).

[3] Toasted pumpkin seeds (photo © Simply Recipes).

[4] Chocolate chips melt over the popcorn. You can also use chocolate chunks or a drizzle of fudge sauce (photo © Coco Dolce).

October is National Popcorn Poppin’ Month, and The Popcorn Board has created a new recipe to mark the occasion.

Loaded with chocolate, cranberries, pumpkin seeds and fall spices, this is a recipe you can enjoy now through the holidays.

It’s also a food gift for anyone, from Halloween and Thanksgiving through Christmas.

The recipe follows. Also below:

> More seasonal popcorn recipes.

> Pairing wine with popcorn.

> The year’s 4 popcorn holidays.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The history of popcorn.

> The year’s 12+ popcorn holidays.

> The history of cherries.

> The year’s 15+ cherry holidays.

> The history of cranberries.
 
 
RECIPE: CRANBERRY OR CHERRY & CHOCOLATE SPICED POPCORN

Ingredients For 8 Cups

 
Preparation

1. TOSS together the popcorn, cranberries/cherries, pumpkin seeds, coconut oil, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large bowl.

2. LAY the mixture flat on a parchment paper–lined tray. Drizzle with the melted chocolate and sprinkle with sea salt.

3. LET stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes or until chocolate sets. Break apart into chunks.
 
 
MORE SEASONAL POPCORN RECIPES

 

[5] Beyond popcorn, toss dried cherries everywhere, including cereal, grains, green salads, ice cream, protein* salads (chicken, egg, tuna, etc), yogurt, and wherever you feel like a drop of sweetness (Abacus Photo).

Here are wines that complement this fall popcorn recipe…and a cozy evening in front of the fire or T.V.

Banyuls Or Ruby Port

Fortified fruity wines like Banyuls and Ruby Port have cocoa or chocolate in the nose, as well as cherry, raspberry or other berry fruit on the palate. They are classic companions to chocolate.

Banyuls is made from the Grenache grape, Port is a blend of several grapes.

Tawny Port Or Zinfandel

Tawny Ports, which have nutty and tobacco/leather notes, also make good pairings.

We don’t recommend Vintage Port: Its high sugar and alcohol content can overwhelm anything that doesn’t have a sharp counterpoint (which is why blue cheese and walnuts are such good pairings).

Spicy Zinfandel brings out the spices in the recipe, and also pair well with chocolate.

Beaujolais Or Orange Muscat

Beaujolais and Orange Muscat bring out fruity notes of the cranberries. Orange Muscat, a dessert wine, also complements dark chocolate.

Beaujolais is a more unusual choice, but if you like the wine, try it.

Cabernet Sauvignon (including Bordeaux)

Whether from Bordeaux or elsewhere, Cabernet Sauvignon brings out the fruity-peppery-grapey notes in the chocolate and pairs well with the spices.
 
 
THE YEAR’S 4 CRANBERRY HOLIDAYS

 
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*“Protein salad” is not a recognized culinary term. We thought we invented the term to describe any protein-focused salad—chicken, crab, egg, ham, lobster, tuna, shrimp, whitefish, etc.—that’s been chopped and mixed with mayonnaise or a similar creamy sauce. We wanted a name to differentiate protein-based salads with green salads, grain salads, and other types. We searched online and found a two other references to “protein salad” on a menu or two, but no major reference source. So we chalk this one up to “simultaneous invention.”

In the culinary world, these “protein salads” are known as “bound salads”: ingredients bound with a thick sauce such as mayonnaise. A bound salad holds its shape when placed on a plate with a scoop. But coleslaw, pasta salad, potato salad, Waldorf salad, and others are also bound salads. Thus, we’re sticking with “protein salad, and hope you will use it, too.”
 
 

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