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1
Pour 1/3 cup water in a blender. Set another 1/2 cup of water nearby.
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2
Add 3 cups of popcorn to the water in the blender. Puree. When necessary to help the blender along, add water from the 1/2 cup, a dribble at a time. I'm strangely amused by the way the popcorn shrinks into itself during this step.
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3
Add the remaining 3 cups of popcorn to the puree. Blend until the whole batch is as smooth as possible. If you need to add a few extra tablespoons of water, go ahead, but don't add too much. The puree should be gooey and thick, and it will never get totally smooth. Don't worry about small chunks-they'll be strained out later. You should end up with about 1/2 cup of popcorn sludge.
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4
Scoop the sludge into a saucepan. Add the cream, milk, sugar, and salt. Heat over medium heat. Whisk occasionally until the sugar dissolves.
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5
As the mixture heats, open the unpopped bag of microwave popcorn. Scrape its entire contents into the cream mixture-the unpopped kernels and the bizarrely yellow oily substance.
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6
Continue heating, whisking occasionally, until all ingredients incorporate together. Just before the mixture boils, remove from heat.
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7
Off heat, mix in the butter until it melts. Strain the mixture into a medium bowl.
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8
Cover and chill at least two hours, preferably longer (up to twenty-four hours).
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9
When the mixture is fully chilled, there will be an orange waxy skin of unincorporated oily substance sitting on top. Do not be alarmed. Skim off the skin and discard.
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10
Churn according to your ice cream maker manufacturer's instructions.
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11
Pack into a freezer-safe container and freeze for at least four hours.
