Popovers: Part 2

I said yesterday that I would post a variation to the popover recipe I tried out (Popovers). To this recipe, I added 1/4 tsp of coarse ground black pepper and 1/3 cup of shredded sharp Cheddar cheese. Let me just say "Yum!" The black pepper added just a hint of spice (next time I might add 1/2 tsp) and the cheese made the inside warm and moist.

Instead of hand whisking all the ingredients for this round, I did use my stand mixer which made for a much smoother batter. I'm not sure if that helped with the rising of the popovers, but as you can see, these popovers rose much better than the first batch. And using the stand mixer made my life easy.

They were delicious with the 15 bean soup I made for supper. I used them to sop up the juice in my bowl. And I definitely didn't stop at just one!

Another variation to the original recipe that sounds great is adding fresh ground herbs and 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Nicole Rees, author of Baking Unplugged, also suggests adding dry mustard and dill, or serving with fresh berries and and whipped cream in the warmer months or a fruit compote and creme fraiche in the cooler months. I've included a recipe for creme fraiche below.

Creme Fraiche (from the Joy of Baking.com)

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp buttermilk

Over low heat, warm the cream to 105 degrees. Remove from the heat and stir in the buttermilk. Transfer to a large bowl and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Every 6 to 8 hours, stir and taste. Within 24 to 36 hours, it should be ready. You'll know it's ready when it is thick and has a slightly nutty, sour flavor. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours before serving. It can keep in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Enjoy!

Up next: Espresso Gingerbread Cutouts. Perfect for the holidays!

Popovers!

Phew! What a day in the kitchen it has been. I started around noon and just finished (5:00 over here in LA). Of course, the soup for supper is still simmering on the stove. My kitchen is smelling absolutely fabulous right now! I started with some red velvet cookies that I found on whipperberry.com courtesy of Pinterest. Then I rolled my fake-out Chili's southwestern egg rolls, again thanks to Pinterest, that I'll be bringing to my family's Christmas get-together. Started the soup then got going on today's recipe.

For my first official baking adventure, I chose to make popovers. Until this week, I had never eaten a popover, much less heard of one (yes, I did google popovers). So I decided to try them out. There weren't too many ingredients to work with, which is always a plus. The results: not too bad. The middle sunk in a little bit when I pulled them out the oven, but wait until tomorrow when I post my variation on the popovers (I added black pepper and cheddar cheese to make them a little more savory). Those definitely didn't sink. I enjoyed the flavor - not too much excitement but a little step up from an ordinary dinner roll.

So, here's the recipe:

Popovers (courtesy of Baking Unplugged by Nicole Rees)
    Makes 12 popovers

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp salt
2 large eggs
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted (you'll also need a little more to grease the muffin tins)
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Brush the bottom and sides of a 12-cup muffin tin with melted butter. Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Then add the eggs and melted butter. Mix until the mixture is smooth and lump free. You might have to add some of the milk to make the mixing easier. Whisk in the remaining milk. Evenly distribute the batter amongst the muffin cups. Bake for 15 minutes at 450 degrees then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 20 minutes or until the tops are crisp and golden. Do not open the oven door until ALL the baking is done. Transfer the popovers to a wire rack to cool. Puncture the bottoms with a sharp knife to let the steam escape. This will help keep them crisp. Serve immediately.

I'm not great at food styling just yet so I had my wonderful friend, Jenna, help me out when she "popped over" to visit!