I tried making popovers again today. This time, I used a recipe that worked pretty well for my mom last week. I didn't follow it exactly, but I used it as a base... this is what I tried. Since our oven seems to cook things rapidly, I tried baking the popovers at 450 for 10 minutes, then baking them at 350 for 15 minutes. Instead of greasing the pan with shortening, I used vegetable oil. And I ran the eggs under warm water before using it, to bring them to room temperature.The results were much better than last time--but still not great! The popovers were soft and spongy and light inside, which was good. But the pop still wasn't very impressive. So I will keep trying! Elliot says that he made them at school last year, and they used baking powder. Maybe I should do that. I also thought that maybe I should keep them at 450 for longer, and if they cook too rapidly I could take them out of the 350 oven earlier... It seems like all the popping happened at the first, higher temperature. At least there has been some improvement!
-Kristin
4 comments:
Kristin, my mother makes popovers that have a huge pop (we're talking grapefruit-size puffs!). I'll see if I can get her recipe (and maybe a snapshot of her popover tin, too). Might not be any different than what you're already working with, but you never know... Also, there's a restaurant up here in Acadia National Park, called the Jordan Pond Tea House, that is world-famous for their popovers (sooooo good!) Here's their recipe: http://www.ohranger.com/acadia/news/2009/park-palates-jordan-pond-house-popovers (don't skip the sifting-of-the-flour part, it helps make the batter as light as possible)
Ooh, Michelle I would love your mother's recipe (and any Popover secrets she can share). Can't wait to try the Jordan Pond Tea House recipe too... So excited I have new leads in my Popover quest!
Ok, so here is my mother's recipe, and get this, there's no sifting of the flour, no baking powder, nothing. She calls it foolproof, because they would always puff up, even long before she got herself a fancy popover tin, but her oven is gas (not sure if your's is, or if it would even make a difference).
And, if my sister were here, she would chime in with her sage Baking&Pastry-educated-advice on making sure your eggs are room temperature when baking. You're not going to get the light, fluffiness of eggs that recipes expect you to achieve, if you use them straight out of the fridge. Taking them out ahead of time really does help, or if you're in a pinch, putting them in a warm water bath.
POPOVERS:
4 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
2TBS butter- melted
3/4 cup unsifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
Heat oven to 375 degrees
Grease muffin cups- this should make about 8 popovers depending on size of tins
Beat eggs til frothy
Beat in milk and butter
Add flour and salt to egg mixture- beat at low speed til smooth.
Divide into prepared cups
Bake 35- 40 minutes or until puffed and firm on top
Fingers crossed that one of these works for you!
Michelle, you are the best! I went ahead and ordered a flour sifter anyway. I think I will try both recipes and report back. I will master the popover if it kills me!
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