Sunday, March 1, 2009

My Father's Popovers

The snow today left me wanting one thing - popovers. I couldn't help but give in.

For my parents' wedding, they received a Farberware Open Hearth Rotisserie. As far as I know, it has only ever been used to make roast beef for family gatherings. When it comes to cooking on the rotisserie, the task falls firmly in my father's domain, much like the grill. In fact, when I was growing up and we had roast beef for dinner, he would take on even more of the meal and make popovers to go alongside. And although the beef is always juicy and well-cooked, the popovers are my favorite part of that meal.

When I moved out of my parents' house, this was one recipe I made sure to have with me. Popovers are definitely a comfort food for me - the edges are crunchy, the inside is soft, and the whole thing is amazingly buttery and delicious. Sometimes I use the batter in a large glass dish and sprinkle in chopped apples, but for this snowy day, I opted for the traditionally large and billowy popovers, baked in individual ramekins.

My Father's Popovers
6 eggs
2 cups milk
6 Tbsp butter, melted
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 375°. Grease 6 8-ounce ramekins (you can also use a muffin pan, but you'll get smaller popovers) and arrange on a baking sheet; set aside.

In large bowl with mixer on low speed, beat eggs until frothy. Add milk and butter and beat until combined. Add flour and salt and continue to mix until there are no lumps. Pour batter into ramekins, filling until 3/4 full.

Bake for 60 minutes, then make a small slit in the top of each popover for steam and bake for another 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

7 comments:

  1. I love popovers! I always thought you had to have the uni-tasker popover pan. As your photographic evidence proves, this is not so! I also made some with sourdough in a muffin pan and they were fantastic.

    I even like filling them with egg or tuna salad. They're so light and airy.

    When will I learn to stop reading you when hungry. Stomach - be quiet please...

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  2. I actually hate how they turn out in traditional popover pans! The "foot" is tiny and overly crunchy, and the puffy part is simply not big enough. Definitely go the ramekin route - even if you have smaller than 8-oz, you'll be better off.

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  3. I am siding with Jackie on this one. I LOVE popovers!!!! And they are so hard to find at restaurants anymore. They used to be far more prevalent but now seem to be an endangered species, a relic of the past. My mom used to make them as well. MMMMMMMMMM!

    I have to get some popovers real soon.

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  4. Those look great! I'm adding them to my list of things to try.

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  5. Judie's Restaurant in Amherst, MA is famous for their popovers.


    http://www.judiesrestaurant.com/

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  6. I love popovers! My mom used to make them frequently, but I've only ever made them once. Time to pull out my cast iron popover tins - don't know where I got them, but they need to be used. Like now.

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  7. I never really understood the popover obsession!

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