Popovers!

Hey, can you hear it?  Listen closely.  There it is again.  The world is going gaga over popovers!  First it was cupcakes, then French macaroons.  Now the buzz is popovers, and for good reason!  Fluffy, soft and oh so delectable, this egg and flour combo is so easy to make and tastes great with just about anything.  For added authenticity, you can use a special popover pan, which looks like a muffin tin but the cups are separated from each other.  Out of convenience, I use a standard muffin tin which works just as well.

I was first introduced to popovers while visiting Memphis, Tennessee.  A great local restaurant, Paulette’s, served piping hot popovers fresh from the oven to every table, accompanied by homemade strawberry butter.  Next to their escargot, the popovers were the best item on (or, really, off) the menu!  (Hmmm... Now that I’ve tackled popovers, maybe the next project for The Delectable Kitchen should be escargot.  Stay tuned.)

Yesterday morning, with its cold and snowy landscape looming outside the window, simply called for a hot comforting breakfast.  Popovers require just a handful of ingredients but the result is truly scrumptious.  They must be served immediately upon removal from the oven, or else they’ll collapse upon themselves like a dying star, becoming ever more dense.  (Finally, an apropos astrophysical reference in this blog!)  Serve with a variety of jellies and marmalades, or if you’re feeling especially indulgent, Nutella!

Popovers
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 Tbs butter, melted
1 cup milk
¼ tsp salt

Do not preheat the oven (sounds strange, but it makes a difference).  Grease and flour 10 muffin cups.  Since many muffin tins hold 6 or 12 muffins, make sure to put hot water in the empty cups to keep your tin from warping!

Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl.  Whisk until thoroughly incorporated, being careful to stop mixing as soon as the flour is no longer visible (overmixing can produce tough popovers).  Pour the batter into the 10 pre-greased and floured muffin cups.  Don’t forget to add water to the empty cups.  Place into a cold oven and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.  Then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the popovers are lightly browned.  Remove from the oven and cut a slit into the top of each popover.  Serve immediately and enjoy!