Or, easy puffs for dressing up a weekend lunch.
I have tried to make popovers a few times, with mixed results. First (and most difficult, to be honest) there was the sticking-to-the-pan issue, then there was the guessing the doneness issue – underdone and you get too-custardy innards that flop a bit, overdone and you over-crisp everything and lose that chewy popover goodness. I tried recipes from family, from cookbooks I admire, and finally was ready to say that popovers aren’t my thing in the kitchen.
Then I stumbled on this recipe in the New York Times. It is a Mark Bittman recipe, he of How to Cook Everything, and I am inclined to trust his guidance (and, more importantly, his no-fuss recipes). I gave it a try, and finally made the popovers I’ve been wanting to make. Now, these do not rise into towers (maybe because I use a muffin pan instead of the more cone-like popover tins?), but they do puff up and expand into satisfyingly craggy beasts with cavernous holes within. Perfect for filling with a crisp salad on a Saturday afternoon. I think these would also be really good breakfast for a crowd, with jam and yogurt.
I somehow managed to brown the butter that Bittman has you heating in the muffin pan while you make the batter. Maybe I am a slow batter-maker? The oven is at a toasty 425F, and you add it in an already melted state, so I’m inclined to think that some browning was inevitable. It does change the flavor of the popovers, though – in a very good way. And now I’m claiming my error/slowness as the best part of the recipe.
As you can see, the butter solids toast to a nutty brown before meeting the batter, and then end up as little specks of flavor coating the finished product. I approve.
I served them with a crispy salad tossed with a tangy, herb-flecked dressing.
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose/plain flour
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- First lightly coat the cups of a muffing tin with oil or baking spray, then add about a teaspoon of melted butter to each cup.
- Beat together the eggs, milk, 1 tablespoon of butter, sugar, and salt. Add flour and beat to combine until you have a smooth batter. (I used my trusty immersion blender for this)
- Remove the pan from the oven (with care!! hot butter!!) and fill each cup about halfway. I might go as far as ⅔ next time, to see if I get more loft, but the halfway mark produced very satisfying results.
- Bake for about 15 minutes at 425, then turn the oven down to 350 F and bake for another 15 minutes. Bittman says that it is very important that you not open the oven until at least the 30 minute mark, presumably so you don't cause popover collapse, and I would do what he says.
- Remove from oven and remove popovers immediately from the pan. I used a twisting motion to loosen the ones that were a tiny bit reluctant to leave the pan.
- These are at their best when served hot, but I enjoyed leftovers for a couple of days by splitting them and reviving them in my toaster.