Ready, Set, Weekend with Simply Beautiful Eating

Most of you know how I feel about brunching. You may even noticed that the breakfast/brunch category on this blog has one of the largest recipe counts. The reason is – I JUST LOVE the first meal of the day. Hang on. I love EVERY meal of the day but this one in particular speaks to my heart.

Most weekends, I have the same routine on a Sunday. I get up, exercise, shower, get dressed and then get down to brunch biz.

I’ve been eyeing a popover pan for as long as I can remember. And, it wasn’t because I wanted to make sweet popovers! I love the look and taste of traditional Yorkshire Puddings. They pair so well with a main course meal and I have never attempted to make them. This is what the plan was (in my mind) when I picked up this pan.

So what did I end up with? Nothing even remotely close to those Yorkshires.

I gathered together in (holy popover matrimony) milk, eggs, butter and a few raspberries that were hanging around in the fridge. I could have easily made scrambled eggs with a side of berries (because I was starving and it would have taken me less than a minute to make brunch) but I really wanted to test out this new pan.

I have to admit, I was a little intimidated with the prospect of these popovers becoming flopovers (this has been happening to me lately with baked goods and it’s not pretty). I have tossed out three cakes in the last month. I’m not sure why but I’m blaming my stupid ovens. I’m convinced that there is something wrong with them and it has nothing to do with me.

The thought of serving a tall, light and airy berry brunch really appealed to me so I rolled up my sleeves, greased up my pan and forged forward.

I must confess, I ate nearly all of them in one sitting, and that was being a bit piggish. Oh well. I think the fact that they are mostly filled with air seemed to be a totally valid excuse to stuff these into my face.

Now that I’ve admitted that I have NO self control, let’s move on to the two KEY tips to making the perfect popover:

1. Make sure the milk and eggs are at room temperature

2. Let the batter sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes to one hour

Here you have it. Slightly crisp on the outside, soft and airy on the inside. They are amazing with just a pat of salted butter, and are the perfect accompaniment to just about any main dish. You can whip these up easily for your family or when guest “popover”. Sorry, couldn’t resist.

RASPBERRY POPOVERS

• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

• 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature

• 1 cup flour

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

• fresh raspberries, rinsed and dried

• granulated sugar for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, flour and salt. Blend on low speed until just combined, about 20 seconds. Add the remaining melted butter and blend for another 10 seconds.

2. Set it aside for at least 30 minutes to one hour at room temperature. This is KEY.

3. When you're ready to bake, position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a standard 6 cup popover pan with a ½ tablespoon of the melted butter. Make sure to coat it well. Once the oven is preheated put the popover pan in for 10 minutes.

4. Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pan, filling each mold ½ way. Place a few raspberries into each popover well.

5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 20 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DURING THE BAKING PROCESS OR YOU WILL END UP WITH FLOPOVERS.

6. After 20 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 350F and continue to bake until puffed, golden and crisp, about another 15 to 20 minutes.

7. Using a knife, carefully run the knife around the sides of each popover to release. Serve warm sprinkled with powdered or granulated sugar and enjoy.