Easy homemade popovers

Popovers - they're one of those things I love to see and eat occasionally at a restaurant when I can find it.  There's a real "wow" factor with the very way they look, all puffed up yet hallow in the center when you cut it open.  Plus, they taste great - crisp and light but just a little bit custardy or eggy at the top.  I think they're an impressive alternative to bread or a biscuit to accompany your meal.  They look like they would be tricky to make but turns out, it's really easy!

Once in a while, my sister and I meet up for a little shopping and lunch on the weekends.  One particular department store we sometimes eat at serves up a fresh popover with strawberry butter that we look forward to.  Maybe that's why I associate popovers with something ladies have at brunch but I think their taste is popular with both male and female alike.


So my interest really peaked when I saw a tutorial on making popovers at thekitchn.com, my favorite food related site.  Turns out, making popovers only requires 4 basic ingredients, along with a pinch of salt.  You can mix the batter together in a blender, or food processor like I used for the dutch baby pancake.  But better yet, just grab a whisk and a large bowl and whip the batter up by hand; that's what I did and it worked beautifully.

And I almost forgot to mention you simply use your muffin/cupcake tin.  An authentic popover pan would certainly be nice and give you a taller product but if you're like me, you don't want to waste money on extra kitchen equipment that you only plan to use occasionally.

I invited my family over for breakfast over Memorial Day weekend and instead of pancakes, I made popovers with some eggs and breakfast meats.  I was so happy to see the dozen popovers disappear quickly.  It's great to have a group to share your food with and such a nice feeling when they clean their plates (as in eat the food on them, not wash them, although that'd be a nice gesture too).

Much like bread, you could get creative with how you eat your popovers.  Butter or jam are popular options, or you could consider filling them with some eggs and meat or cheese for a more savory twist.  They're certainly good enough plain fresh out of the oven.