Popovers
Popovers are one of those obscure breakfast delicacies that tend to be overlooked . . . They are very similar to German Pancakes aka Dutch Babies aka Hootenanny Pancakes. The difference? They’re cooked in ramekins, making them individual portions. Translation: perfectly crisp and tender. {Kinda perfect when social distancing is required??}
Some things you must know before you begin the recipe.
Popovers reportedly have a low success rate. Increase the odds by doing the following:
Grease ramekins with butter or shortening (a muffin tin can be substituted)
Warm the milk: 25 seconds in the microwave will bring the milk to ~80F
When pouring batter, only pour once into each receptacle
Do not open oven while baking - truth is it might not make them crash . . . but why risk it??
Once baked, pierce each popover with a butter knife while still in the oven
Bonus: not quite ready to serve? Keep in hot oven for a few more minutes and they’ll stay perfect
Popovers
Using butter (or shortening), grease entire inner surface of 8 ramekins
Place ramekins on a cookie sheet, slip into oven. Set oven to 400F.
While preheating, mix batter:
Into a medium mixing bowl, crack & then beat:
3 eggs
Add, whisking together well:
1/2 cup milk (warmed to ~80F)
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup flour
Batter will be thick, but smooth. Continue whisking while adding:
1 cup milk (warmed to ~80F)
Remove tray of hot ramekins from the oven, immediately distributing the thin batter equally among them:
8 ramekins: use a 1/2 cup measuring cup, fill it just less than full (1/2 cup minus 1 Tbsp)
Pour only once into each (don't go back and top off to even out)
Immediately return tray of filled ramekins to the hot oven
Bake at 400F for 40 min (muffin tin 30)
Don’t open the oven until done (use the light and look through the glass doorway)
Pierce each with a knife immediately upon opening the oven
Once pierced they can continue to crisp in a hot oven but will burn after ~8 min
Serve hot.
Brenda’s Tips:
Recipe makes 8 (8 oz) ramekins or 12 regular muffin sized popovers.
You can use a wire whisk, hand-mixer or stand mixer.
Both butter and shortening work equally well to grease the pans, while non-stick pan spray often results in a lower "pop" rate.
Popovers rely on the steam created by the liquid to cause the "pop," while the gluten + protein prevents the steam from escaping. Once cooked, piercing each to release the hot steam will prevent steam having a negative reaction to room-temp air, causing an imbalance of pressure . . . aka collapse.
Delicious with homemade jam = Strawberry Freezer Jam.
This is a deep-dive into various methods to improve the pop in a popover - Serious Eats: the Best Yorkshire Pudding
