Crispy, golden and beautifully puffed makes Peppered Popovers perfect for tearing apart and dunking or drowning in warm gravy, and I think it’s safe to say that most of us know popovers solely as gravy catchers. But I’m here to share a little secret, they’re a stellar side with soup, stew, chili and braises. Crispy, eggy and ohhh so good! Easy too! Everything gets whisked in a bowl, poured into muffin tins and baked, ta-da, done! They’re delicious with their heavy hand of freshly ground black pepper and generous dose of nutmeg.
I will admit to having my share of popover failures over the years. You know those spongy hockey puck like disks that form from the seemingly perfectly puffed domes when you remove them from the oven? I’ve been there, so hopefully you don’t have to. The trick to perfect popovers every time is two fold. Firstly, start with a very hot oven, and second, allow the popovers to cook long enough to dry out and hold their shape. Because of the high baking temperature they appear to be puffed and golden to the point where you’re thinking they will burn if you don’t remove them. That’s when you need to stop yourself, because they may appear cooked but the inside is still too wet and they’ll collapse when removed from the oven when they no longer have the assistance of steam to keep them up. Hence the hockey pucks! So to solve this, the oven temperature is reduced to prevent over browning yet allows the insides to fully cook, retaining the dome structure.
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit’s Nutmeg and Black Pepper Popovers
- 30 ml canola or vegetable oil
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup 2% milk room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 tbsp fresh Italian parsley finely chopped
- 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg freshly ground preferred
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- Preheat oven to 425℉. Pour 1/2 tsp of canola oil into bottom of 12 regular size muffins tins. Place in oven and allow to heat for 5-7 minutes.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs until smooth. Add milk and whisk until combined. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth, approximately 30 seconds.
- Remove muffin tins from oven and fill each with approximately 3-4 tbsp of batter (about 1/2 full) Return to oven and bake for 12 minutes until puffed and starting to brown. Reduce heat to 350℉ and continue to bake for an additional 22-25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately.