These popovers are surprisingly easy to make. I bake them in a metal muffin
pan and they come out puffy and golden; crispy outside and tender inside.
They are superb with steak or a good old fashioned pot roast. Many people are
intimidated by the popover (commonly referred to as a Yorkshire Pudding). I
myself used to feel the same way. However, this recipe is foolproof.
There are many theories about making the perfect popover and I have a few
myself which I’ll share with you here:
1. Use ingredients that are at room temperature. If your milk is just out of the refrigerator, measure it out and pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and you’re ready to go. Same with the eggs, use them at room temperature but if you’ve forgotten to take them out of the fridge, set them in a bath of hot water for 5 minutes and they’ll be just as good.
2. The trick to gorgeous height and puffiness – don’t overbeat your batter. This can be very tempting … but back away. In this case, less is more!
3. Preheat your oven.
4. Heat oil in each muffin cup before you pour in your batter and make sure you use the required amount. It may be tempting to cut back on the oil, but don’t … there is nothing worse than cleaning up a muffin pan full of baked on popovers.
5. Once baked, remove them immediately from the cups.
6. Watch your timing! Since these need to be served immediately you’ll want to bake these when everything else is almost ready. Like the gravy, these should be one of the last things to hit the table.
7. Have fun! It’s great fun to watch these puff up while they’re in the oven. And just to be on the safe side, try not to get so excited that you’re jumping up and down … it might not be so good for the pop effect we’re going for!
Best Ever Popovers
1 cup (250 ml) all-purpose flour
1/3 teaspoon (3 ml) salt
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon (15 ml) butter, melted
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) whole milk
12 teaspoons (60 ml) oil
Method
1. Position rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 425 ° F (220 °C).
For this recipe, you can use a popover pan, a muffin pan or custard cups
placed on a baking sheet.
2. In a food processor, combine the flour, salt, eggs, butter, and milk. Process
for a few seconds, just barely enough to combine. Scrape down the sides of
the bowl and process again briefly to break up any lumps of flour.
3. Place 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of oil in each cup of whatever type pan you are
using so that the popovers won’t stick. Pop the pan filled with oil in the
preheated oven for about 2 minutes. An easy way to tell if your oil is hot or
not is to tilt your pan ever so slightly. Hot oil will spread really fast across the
bottom of your muffin cup. If it doddles, heat it a little longer but not too long
or they will take up smoking.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared cups, filling them half full. Bake for 30
minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 °F (190 °C) and continue baking until they
are a golden brown.
5. Remove from the oven and immediately unmold them before they shrink
and stick. If you come across one that sticks, pry it out with a spoon or the
edge of a sharp knife. Serve immediately. Makes 12 beautiful popovers.
Adapted from: Williams- Sonoma Essentials of Baking
I just know you’re going to love these dramatic, little show-offs! Slathered with
butter, or crowned with gravey, they’ll bring you flurries of praise and
adoration. The two things I love most!
Love, TSW ♥
This Sweet Wife 