gruyere cheese popovers

Poststructural Pub
1

I haven’t done this in a while, so…

I just got a popover pan this week, and I was anxious to try it out. A popover pan is like a muffin pan, but the cups are widely spaced and have a lip to let the batter rise up and “pop over” the top.

Popovers are fun, and really quite easy to make.

2 cups milk
4 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tbsp salt
1 cup grated gruyere cheese

Put the popover pan in the oven, and preheat to 350 with the pan in there.

While the pan heats, get your ingredients ready: crack the eggs into a big mixing bowl, sift the flour and salt together into another bowl.

Put the milk in a saucepan and GENTLY warm up (like on 2 or 3) until it’s blood-warm.

While milk is warming whisk eggs. Whisk whisk whisk. When the eggs are frothy, check the milk. IF the milk isn’t ready, you’ll have to whisk the eggs some more when it is. Seriously. It’s gotta be frothy. It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s not.

When the milk is ready, pour a SMALL amount in and whisk it in. then a little bit more, and whisk. This tempers the eggs so they don’t cook. You can whisk the rest in a little faster after this.

After the eggs and milk are together, SLOWLY whisk in the flour/salt mixture. Whisk GENTLY until it’s nearly smooth (a few small lumps are fine).

Take your popover pan out of the oven (it’s hot!), and spray with Pam. Fill the popover cups 3/4 full of mix (that’s about 3/4 of a cup). Split the cheese into 6 portions and top each cup with a portion.

Put back in oven and let cook for 15 minutes. Turn 180 degrees and let cook for 35 minutes more. Remove from oven and remove from pan immediately. Best served immediately.

2

Wow, you really put a lot of effort into your popovers.

I use a cup of milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, 1C flour, mix in two eggs (in that order), pour it into a buttered cast iron muffin pan, and bake. I treat the mixing like making muffins. The Joy of Cooking (1972) has a two stage bake, 15 min at 450, turn down the heat to 350 and bake for 20 more. A little honey and butter is usually all I add.

Popovers always seemed like one of those bombproof recipes, as long as you are not opening and closing the oven door, they always seem to make an tasty treat.

I cannot argue with results though, yours look a bit fluffier.

If you want to hurt your brain, the next time you are going through the cake mix isle in your grocery store see if they have apopover mix. $5 for flour, powdered milk and a pinch of salt. It boggles my mind.

3

Well, the biggest work is frothing the eggs and warming the milk…

Other than that, it’s really “mix, pour, bake” with a turn in the first 1/3.

The frothing/warming helps with the fluffiness..and you want to warm the pan, because you don’t want warm batter going into a cold pan. It really was no effort at all, though.

4

Does your stove have top heat? I have heard on electric stoves it is best to disconnect the top element and only have heat from the bottom. (Again, from what the joy of cooking says)

5

mine has top and bottom heat. Stuff seems to turn out fine. :wink:

But I’ve been cooking with electric stoves most all my life, so I guess i’m just used to how they work.

6

I have never wanted gruyere cheese popovers more in my life.

7

The whipping and frothing and hot pan are essential for popovers because, unlike cupcakes or muffins, they have no leavening agent. Cupcakes and muffins have baking powder to make them raise up. Popovers depend on heat expanding the bubbles you have whipped into the batter. That’s why you heat the pan and use a hot (450 deg.) oven for the first 15 minutes.

That same batter recipe unfrothed will make a decent Yorkshire pudding. Pour it over some browned and cut up bangers for toad in the hole. But even that is improved by some whipping and a hot pan.

I want one of those pans. Those popovers are gorgeous.

8

Thanks for the compliment :slight_smile:

Got the pan for $15.50 at amazon.com http://tinyurl.com/2usd7r

It works really well. They make a 12-cup pan also, and I kind of wish I’d gotten that…6 popovers don’t last very long!

9

No, they will still resemble popovers, just like the way that Gonzo914* makes waffles from a mix box (Krusties?) resemble “waffles”.

*If you allow, I will stop by for your chili when I have a chance, you seem to be an authority on that subject.