Popovers warm up a winter meal

I love popovers, though I don't make them often enough. More puffed than a muffin, more eggy than a pancake, they go with any meal, depending on how they are flavored. They can be sweet or savory or left plain.

I have discovered that popover recipes are all over the map in terms of instructions: Warm the pan in the oven ahead of time, or not. Oven at 450 degrees or 375. Whole milk or any type. Reduce temperature after 15 minutes, or maybe 20. Cut slits in the popovers after 30 minutes. Mix in a blender, or strictly by hand. Rest the batter, or use immediately. Bake in a muffin pan or only in a special popover pan.

Really, the only instruction everyone seems to agree on is "Don't open the oven mid-baking." That I can remember. The steam created by the baking helps develop the puffiness, and the lovely crust, so don't let it escape.

The recipe here follows the instructions of PJ Wells, a longtime recipe writer for King Arthur Baking. Wells tried several techniques on the way to developing a favorite basic popover. 

And even then, I played with the ingredients, adding Meyer lemon zest from my homegrown lemons and some finely chopped fresh rosemary and thyme, plus an optional pinch of black pepper.

Try the popovers with butter alongside chicken noodle soup or with jam or marmalade to accompany scrambled eggs. (Tart lemons also work if Meyers are unavailable.) Substitute more freshly ground black pepper or more thyme for the rosemary and serve them with grilled or broiled fish. Delicious.

Lemon herb popovers

Makes 12 to 14 muffin-size popovers (see * below)

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil spray for greasing pan

4 eggs, room temperature (Quick method: Warm in a cup of hot water 10 minutes before cracking)

1-1/2 cups milk (any type), lukewarm

3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Zest from one large Meyer lemon, about 1 tablespoon

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped if desired

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary (or more thyme)

A few grinds of black pepper, optional

3 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. An oven thermometer is your best friend here. Make sure one oven rack is in the lower third of the oven; move another rack to the top position in the oven just in case it's needed. (Explanation further down in instructions.)

Grease the muffin pan, including the tops of the pan, with the oil spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and salt until thoroughly combined. In a smaller bowl, stir together the flour, lemon zest and whatever herbs you've chosen, plus a few grinds of pepper, if using.

Add the flour mixture to the milk mixture all at once, whisking until frothy and no large lumps remain. (Small lumps are OK).

Fill prepared muffin cups 3/4 full. * My new muffin pan is more shallow than the old ones, so I had extra batter after filling cups. I baked the extra in two greased ramekins.

Double-check that the oven temperature is in fact 450 degrees (my oven runs hot), adjust if necessary, then place the filled pan on that lower rack, and bake for 20 minutes. No peeking!

After 20 minutes, lower the temperature to 350 degrees. Here's the one time you can peek, to see if the popovers are browning too quickly. If so, Wells has a great tip: Place a flat baking sheet on that top rack, to deflect the heat.

Bake the popovers an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the muffin pan, and gently poke each popover once with the tip of a sharp knife, to allow the steam to escape.

If desired, and the popovers aren't too dark, return the pan to the still-hot oven for 5 more minutes. This will crisp the tops a bit more.

Remove the pan to a cooling rack. After 5 minutes, place the popovers on a serving dish or in a bread basket. They will start to deflate a bit, but that's normal. Serve immediately, with butter, jam, marmalade or chutney.

Note: This recipe is easily halved. When filling the muffin cups, leave some space between the 6 or 7 popovers.