Rosemary and Parmesan Popcorn

I love the mystique of popcorn. I have created some crazy dishes in my time, but had never made it, so it remained a mystery to me. At Le Manoir I had grown half a dozen rows of maize, and was looking forward to popping the corn. Alas, it was the wrong variety and could not pop. I was disappointed, undeterred, I found the right variety in a supermarket and then finally got to make popcorn. So why does it pop? There’s a minute droplet of water in the corn’s kernels that heat transforms into steam. Each kernel is like a tiny pressure cooker. Suddenly, the vapour bursts through the skin and the kernel acts like an echo chamber . . . pop, pop, pop! How fantastic that simply through the application of heat these corns explode into a miraculous, mini snack of snowy-white beauties, perfect with drinks before a meal. And all in less than 10 minutes. For me, it’s been a huge discovery, and now will be served in every one of my Brasserie Blanc restaurants.