Popovers!

My blog has been sparse because of a family issue that required me going to Missouri for an extended period…but I’m back, and I’m finally feeling like cooking again.

So let’s jump right into it.

I love popovers because of cartoons.  Yeah, you read that right.

See there is this cartoon called “Bye, Bye, Bluebeard” – it is all about Porky Pig, a crazy mouse, and a wolf with a blue beard. Here is part of it:

https://youtu.be/DAceWJIRs60

The point is at the end of the cartoon the wolf eats some popovers.  (The above link doesn’t show the popovers part, but it is there, trust me.)  So OF COURSE when I see the recipe for popovers in a cookbook as a child – I MUST make it!  And I did.

Still, it wasn’t until I was an adult that I fully understood the joy of popovers!  So light, so fluffy, and eggy as hell!  It is the perfect American Yorkshire Pudding knockoff.

I’ve made them many times, they have been awesome – but this last time, I was trying to be creative and I bombed it!  I shredded some fantastic Gruyere and mixed it right into the batter.  Now, more experienced chefs are going “It bombed?  I wonder WHY!” *snort/giggle/shake of the head*

Yeah, yeah, I know.

BUT for those of you who are new to popovers, let me just say that the batter is thin and light because it has to crawl up the sides of the pan (I have a popover pan now so they get huge and it is amazing).  When you put something HEAVY like CHEESE (which melts and sits at the bottom of the popover like sludge), OF COUSE it isn’t going to puff up like it should!

BUT, I don’t think you understand just how deflated they were.

So, I took it upon myself to make a batch that weren’t terrible just so I could show you the difference.  Yes, I am a selfless blog hostess.  Throwing myself on eggy wonderfulness so you can have one or two lousy pictures.  LOVE ME for my sacrifice!

I’m not going to post a recipe for popovers, because King Arthur Flour does such an amazing job, I would rather just point you to them:  

https://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/popovers-recipe

BUT HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR NEWBIES

1. It seems dumb to make sure your eggs are room temp but if you want EPIC, TOWERING popovers the eggs (and everything else) needs to be warm!
2. Put your pan on top of the oven to warm it up while your oven preheats. Or even put it IN the oven, just make sure not to spray them beforehand.
3. You can totally add herbs to get a great flavor filled popover. Suggestions to try for savory: ground mustard, herbs de provence, paprika, curry, etc.  Suggestions for sweet: cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, etc.
4. You can totally make cheese popovers! All you need to remember is to not mix the cheese into the batter, instead sprinkle it on the top after you’ve put the batter in the tins!