Perfectly Pernicioius Popovers

daphne on December 12, 2012

Dang that title sounds good.

Good enough that in the name of honoring this amazing breakfast treat we will ignore the self-incriminating feel of it.

I know what you’re thinking.  That if I must insist upon this alliterative annoyance, why not go with something more suitable?

Persnickety perchance? That packs the power of the literary ‘p’.

And persnickety does reference the careful labor demanded by the stubbornly mysterious popover recipe.

Nah, persnickety doesn’t make the cut.  Why?  Because I am unwilling to log the details that might explain why this recipe delivers breakfast magic on some days, and dense little pancake-flavored hockey pucks on others.

I know first-hand the disappointment of the pop-under.   I just haven’t worked out if I should blame the weather or the children or the 250 pound squirrels that leap and twirl upon our deck while the poor treats are trying to cook.

DARN YOU POPOVER!  HOW I YEARN TO UNLOCK YOUR ‘TO POP OR NOT TO POP’ DRAMA!

Hence, pernicious.

Moving on.

Pernicious.  Perfection.  Popovers.

The words are a careful caress.  They pour forth effortlessly, tumbling one into the next and in so doing create an overall feeling of peace and harmony and goodwill for all mankind.

That’s the kind of power a perfect popover can punch.

Warning (every great recipe should come with a warning):

Your pops could flop.  Sometimes, they will not.

Popovers are like that.

Pernicious.  Persnickety.  And perfectly fabulous when they want to be.

Popovers

daphne on December 11, 2012

Popovers — you’ll need a little more than an hour, and if you don’t have a popover tray, a muffin tray will do

  • 3 eggs
  • 1.5 cups flour
  • 1.5 cups milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon of melted butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees, and grease the pan.

Beat the eggs slightly and add the remaining ingredients — LET SIT FOR 15 MINUTES.  This matters. I don’t know why, but it does.

Fill the cups 3/4 fill (this recipe will make 6 popovers or about 12 muffin-sized popovers)

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 325 degrees.

Bake another 25-30 minutes, or until golden-brown.

Smile at the miraculous pop.  Or conversely, remark at how your pancake-flavored disks sure are neat.

Serve with butter and jam.