Once a month or so, I leave the choice of what dish I’ll recreate to the intelligent, culinary-minded followers of my Instagram account. This time, in a brutal head-to-head involving a dish with “elegant” in the title, the people have spoken — and they want to see State Representative Bernie Christenson’s Popcorn Balls.

Chef Bernie Christenson

Republican State Representative from South Dakota

The photo above is actually from the dearly departed representative in his later years, but I pulled this delightful dessert from my trusty standby — which has birthed this recipe and this one as well — the 1989 South Dakota Centennial Cookbook.

Younger Bernie; even better shades. No need to show you the ingredients again — that’s it right there in that weathered, yellowed cookbook page, and I recreated it with exactitude:

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Melt butter, add marshmallows, and stir until melted.

You can use a double boiler if you want, but there is some sort of interesting unnatural ingredient in marshmallow that keeps it from sticking to the metal pan. So go nuts and keep the double boiler in your closet.

2) Blend in gelatin if coloring is desired.

I desired coloring. And the flavor. It’s a fairly large part of the recipe, that flavored Jello, so I took this “optional” addition to be pretty mandatory.

3) Pour over popcorn and form popcorn balls.

Chef Bernie didn’t say exactly how to form the balls, so there were a few unsuccessful attempts on my part. Things were sticky at first, so I had to water my hands down. After that, balls formed with ease.

Voila! Wow, am I glad I desired coloring. Look at the pink on these balls!

If you’re a fan of faux-raspberry flavoring and Rice Krispie treats, these will make you very happy. Bernie’s balls are salty, sweet and hold together surprisingly well given how quickly this all came together. They are NOT anything close to the consistency of Jello, which can be very saddening to some of us, but it’s in the instructions — it’s only for “coloring.” Sticky, but not upsettingly so; berry-flavored, but not authentically so — it’s pretty much perfect. Much like our Wine Jelly and Ketchup Cream from previous posts, its flavor profile is perfect for kids and adults with childish/childlike palates.

Verdict:

One of the tastier creations I’ve had the pleasure of making in this foray into politician-food. Not as good as a Rice Krispie treat, but better than they look. Which is like brains.