Popovers -CookingWithPam ... Enabled recipes and information from the kitchen of Pamela Rice Hahn

	Popovers & Yorkshire Pudding
			A little sugar acts as a flavor enhancer in much the same way that salt does, especially for foods like popovers that are intended to go with savory dishes. The teaspoon of sugar called for in this recipe won't make the popovers sweet, but it will make the flavor "pop."
	Popover Ingredients:
	1 cup milk 3 large eggs, room temperature* 1 tablespoon.melted butter 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour 6 teaspoons butter Preheat oven to 450°F. Add the milk, eggs, melted butter, sugar, salt, and flour to a blender and mix thoroughly. You can mix it in a bowl with a whisk, but using the blender adds more air to the batter, which results in a better popover. Now comes the time to use the remaining 6 teaspoons of butter. Add a pat of butter (about 1/2 teaspoon each) to each cup in the popover pan. Place the pan in the preheated oven until the butter is just melted and sizzling, about two minutes. Fill each popover cup about half-full of popover batter. ... (You'll save yourself some grief and make your job a lot easier if you place the popover pan on a baking sheet. Then you can simply pull out the oven rack, and fill each popover pan cup by pouring the batter from the blender. If you splatter a little, it won't matter because the splatters will land on the baking sheet, which is much easier to clean than your oven!) Bake at 450°F for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350°F, then bake for another 15 to 20 minutes. If you must take a peek at the popovers while they bake, turn on your oven light and look through your oven window. You really shouldn't open the oven door to check on them while they bake because any draft of cool air can cause the popovers to collapse. *To bring eggs to room temperature, put them in a bowl of warm water for 15 minutes. (The water temperature should be warm to the touch; be careful that it isn't too hot or you'll end up with coddled eggs.) Avoid the temptation to let the eggs set out on a counter until they're at room temperature because that's the sort of action that promotes the growth of nasty-stuff bacteria.


	Serving Suggestions: I love to serve beef stroganoff in crepes; however, crepes are time-consuming to make. A quicker, much simpler way to serve it is inside a popover. When you'll be serving the popovers immediately and filling them with a savory filling like beef stroganoff or chicken ala king, add an extra tablespoon of butter to the batter and don't bake them as long. Because you'll be filling them right away, unless you're nit-picky, it won't matter if the popovers collapse; therefore, my recommendation is to remove them from the oven at the end of the first 20-minute baking time. (The reason for the 350°F baking time is only to dry them out so they don't collapse.) Other ways to serve warm or cooled popovers is to split and fill them with scrambled or poached eggs. Another helpful tip: Popovers made ahead of time can be placed in a 350°F oven for about five minutes to crisp them up. Then simply split them open, fill 'em with your choice of ingredients, and serve.
			Popovers are also delicious if you add the extra flavor of chopped herbs, finely minced shallots, Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, lemon or orange zest, freshly ground black pepper, or pepper flakes to the batter before you bake the popovers.
			Yorkshire Pudding Prep To "convert" the popover recipe to one for individual Yorkshire pudding, substitute beef broth for half of the milk. Then, instead of putting pats of butter in the cups, use pan drippings (beef fat) from your roast or prime rib.
	If you'll be serving the Yorkshire pudding immediately, skip the 350°F baking time. This also works for an almost instant dressing to accompany roast chicken. In that case, you substitute chicken broth for half of the milk, use chicken fat in the popover pan cups, and skip the 350°F baking time.
	As you can see from the picture below, the cups in a popover pan are deeper than those in a traditional cupcake or muffin pan; they're also separated, which lets hot air circulate around each popover. The unique shape and construction of a popover pan is key to making popovers.

	Chicago Metallic 12-Cavity Nonstick Popover Pan Dishwasher-safe Heavy-gauge aluminized steel with nonstick SilverStone surface If you don't a popover pan, an alternative would be to make them in custard cups arranged on a baking sheet so the cups aren't touching. The shape won't be as traditional, but the popovers will taste as good. (If you're using glass custard cups, remember to lower the oven temperatures by 25 degrees. ... In fact, unless you're certain your custard cups can withstand temperatures over 400°F, it'll be better to bake them first at 375°F, and then lower the over temp to 325°F.
	Fat is your friend when you're baking popovers or individual Yorkshire puddings. In the picture above, the individual Yorkshire puddings in the middle were baked using fat (butter, beef drippings, chicken fat) in the pan cups; those on the outside of the pan were baked using some broth in the cups instead. ... Popovers and Yorkshire pudding is leavened by the action of the eggs hitting the hot fat. If you're watching your fat, those baked using broth in the pan instead will taste just as good, they just won't look as pretty.
	Article, recipe, and photos: Copyright © 2004-2006 Pamela Rice Hahn All Rights Reserved For reprint permission or for other writing assignments, contact the author.