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Popovers are one of the easiest, most complicated things you’ll ever make. Easy because you can whip up the batter in no time using only measuring cups and a blender. Complicated because no one seems to agree on which ingredients constitute a good popover. Some swear by a leavener, like baking powder, while others say adding a leavener strips away the traditional elements of a popover. Others insist adding anything other than Worcestershire sauce to the batter is an offense punishable by flogging via a whisk. The debate over popovers can be as contentious as the debate on healthcare reform (representatives childishly interrupting each other optional). Add to it the high likelihood the popovers may deflate during baking and it’s enough to make a novice baker throw in his/her apron. But before you run screaming for the hills, I’m here to help demystify the popover…and throw in my own spin.
The Professional Chef, a textbook written by the Culinary Institute of America, states that a leavener (most commonly baking powder or baking soda, but can also include whipped egg whites) is usually needed to ensure a proper rise. The textbook, a treasured find I uncovered a few years ago at a library sale, provides a basic batter recipe and then details ways it can be modified to suit ones needs. It calls for a simple number of ingredients: flour, salt, a leavener, eggs, milk (or buttermilk or another similar liquid) and oil (or melted butter) for the pan. Seems simple, right? Not necessarily. The call for a leavener aside, The Professional Chef allows for adding in your own spices or other add-in ingredients. This is where a bunch of “popover purists” would throw down their whisks and raise up their arms in preparation for culinary battle. They swear that only Worcestershire sauce should be used in the batter. This is where I call bullshit. I’ve had popovers of all different flavors and found each one of them to be delicious in their own right. To limit oneself to Worcestershire sauce seems a bit daft to me. Especially since I’m not even a fan of Worcestershire sauce. And this is where we cue the grated cheese:
Considering my almost illicit love for cheese, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Adding a grated, hard cheese to the batter infuses its flavor throughout the popover’s flaky layers. Martha Stewart even does it (she uses Gruyere)! And whatever’s good enough for Martha is good enough for me.
The easiest way to throw together the popover batter (in my humble opinion) is to use a blender. Not only does it make incorporating all of the ingredients easier, you’re able to easily pour the batter into the prepared pan.
And speaking of the pan, there are pans especially made for popovers. Deeper than muffin pan cups, the popover pans are designed to assist in a high rise for each popover. To get a proper popover look, you would definitely need a popover pan. However (and here’s where I admit a secret shame), I have been making popovers for years and still don’t own a popover pan. I use a regular muffin pan, accepting the fate of a popover with a lower rise. This, however, does not compromise the taste of the popover to me. Yes, my popovers are not as light as traditional ones, but they are a tasty substitute. However, if you’re going for a popover with a bigger rise, you will need a popover pan. Luckily, they’re fairly easy to find (I’ve even seen them in Wal-Mart) and aren’t that expensive.
Now after all that discussion, let’s put back on our aprons and dive into this quick and simple recipe. And hope it all doesn’t end in tears.
Makes 12 popovers
These look great – I’m like you – never really wanted to buy a special “popover” pan for the 2 times I might make them…. but now i’ll try it out in a regular muffin pan to see what happens
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