Julia's Popovers
While I was staying in the town of Hutchinson, Minnesota, I had the chance to try my first popover at McCormick's
Family Restaurant. Their claim to fame was a hot, crispy popover served with your meal. From the first bite, I was
in love, and I was determined to master the recipe. Of course, the first thing I did was do an internet search and
there were lots of recipes out there. The problem was, they were bad recipes. There were a whole lot of tips that went
along with the recipe as well, such as "don't open the oven door," "the popover pan must be preheated," "the batter
should not be overworked." Unfortunately, none of the recipes turned out consistently. It was about a 50/50 hit-or-miss
proposition if your popover ever popped. Some days all I got was a dense, doughy hocky puck for my efforts.
Then my popover epiphany happened. It just so happened that the movie Julie and Julia came out at the same time,
and there was my answer: Julia Child.
After seeing that Julia had a popover recipe in Baking with Julia, it was game on but believe me, it was with a lot of
trepidation that I made that first batter -- after all, I had a lot of failures behind me. in the end, it couldn't have been
easier. Five basic ingredients. No fancy equipment needed -- just a blender and a popover pan. (The recipe even
worked in a large muffin tin in a pinch.)
These popovers are truly perfection. Crispy crusts yet with a creamy, doughy interior. And better yet, they turn out
EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Julia's Popovers - makes 6 large popovers
1 cup of whole or 2% milk at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons melted butter
3 eggs at room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and put your popover pan in to preheat for 15 minutes. You can also use a 6-cup large
muffin tin.
2. While the oven is preheating, combine the milk and eggs in the blender and give them a quick pulse.
3. Just before you plan to take the pan out of the oven, blend in the cup of flour, butter and salt until you have a lump-free
batter - about 10 seconds.
4. Take the pan out of the oven and brush the cups with oil or butter.
5. Immediately pour the batter into the cups. The batter will come about halfway up the cup.
6. Return the pan to the oven and bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.
7. Turn down the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes.
8. Take the popovers out of the oven and pierce with a knife or fork to release the steam. Remove from the cups.
I personally like to let the popovers cool just slightly, then serve with fresh butter and a drizzle of honey on the inside.
I've also used them as a vol-au-vent for a creamy shrimp or chicken filling as a meal.
Family Restaurant. Their claim to fame was a hot, crispy popover served with your meal. From the first bite, I was
in love, and I was determined to master the recipe. Of course, the first thing I did was do an internet search and
there were lots of recipes out there. The problem was, they were bad recipes. There were a whole lot of tips that went
along with the recipe as well, such as "don't open the oven door," "the popover pan must be preheated," "the batter
should not be overworked." Unfortunately, none of the recipes turned out consistently. It was about a 50/50 hit-or-miss
proposition if your popover ever popped. Some days all I got was a dense, doughy hocky puck for my efforts.
Then my popover epiphany happened. It just so happened that the movie Julie and Julia came out at the same time,
and there was my answer: Julia Child.
After seeing that Julia had a popover recipe in Baking with Julia, it was game on but believe me, it was with a lot of
trepidation that I made that first batter -- after all, I had a lot of failures behind me. in the end, it couldn't have been
easier. Five basic ingredients. No fancy equipment needed -- just a blender and a popover pan. (The recipe even
worked in a large muffin tin in a pinch.)
These popovers are truly perfection. Crispy crusts yet with a creamy, doughy interior. And better yet, they turn out
EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Julia's Popovers - makes 6 large popovers
1 cup of whole or 2% milk at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons melted butter
3 eggs at room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and put your popover pan in to preheat for 15 minutes. You can also use a 6-cup large
muffin tin.
2. While the oven is preheating, combine the milk and eggs in the blender and give them a quick pulse.
3. Just before you plan to take the pan out of the oven, blend in the cup of flour, butter and salt until you have a lump-free
batter - about 10 seconds.
4. Take the pan out of the oven and brush the cups with oil or butter.
5. Immediately pour the batter into the cups. The batter will come about halfway up the cup.
6. Return the pan to the oven and bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.
7. Turn down the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes.
8. Take the popovers out of the oven and pierce with a knife or fork to release the steam. Remove from the cups.
I personally like to let the popovers cool just slightly, then serve with fresh butter and a drizzle of honey on the inside.
I've also used them as a vol-au-vent for a creamy shrimp or chicken filling as a meal.
