Magic in the Kitchen

Here is one of those glorious recipes with the simplest of ingredients, flour, milk, eggs, and butter mixed together just right to create a little miracle in the oven.  Popovers are so simple to make and are quite spectacular when done correctly.  The trick is to do them correctly.  Like Yorkshire pudding, popovers can be tricky and when not done correctly can be flat and doughy.

This recipe creates a light, high and beautifully browned product that is a perfect accompaniment with breakfast, lunch or dinner.  You do have to plan ahead with this recipe though, as the batter needs to sit for an hour prior to putting them in the oven.  It is also helpful to have a specific popover pan.  I have made these in muffin tins but they are nowhere near as dramatic.

Popovers

(Makes 6)

2 cups of flour

3 large eggs

2 cups milk

3 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

Grease the popover pan with vegetable spray and then lightly dust with some extra flour and set pan aside.

Heat the milk to 110 degrees.  Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl until light and foamy.  Slowly whisk in the milk and melted butter until thoroughly mixed.

Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl.  Whisk 3/4 of the milk/egg mixture and mix until there are no lumps.  Whisk in the remaining milk/egg mixutre.  Transfer the batter into a large measuring cup and cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Whisk the batter lightly then pour into the popover pan until each cup is 3/4 full.  (I overfilled mine and had blobs of burned popover batter all over the bottom of my oven.) 

Bake until just beginning to brown, about 20 minutes.  Decrease the oven temperature to 300 degrees but do not open the oven door.  Bake for another 35 minutes.  Poke a small hole into the top of each popover with toothpick and continue to bake until they are a deep golden brown.  Transfer the popover pan to a wire rack, poke the popovers again and let cool for 2 minutes.  These can be reheated at 400 degrees until crisp and heated through, approximately 5-8 minutes.  Serve with jam or honey.