TWD Baking With Julia, Popovers!

It’s Tuesdays With Dorie and today’s recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s book, Baking With Julia, is (drum roll, please) … POPOVERS!  I don’t know why but I cannot write or say POPOVERS! without putting an exclamation point at the end.  I think it is just how the word sounds.  I’ve never made a POPOVER! before.  I know, I can’t believe it either.  However, when I was looking through the ingredient list this is what I saw: flour, milk, salt, eggs, butter.  Immediately I thought, “how can this be, this sounds like a cream puff?”.  My sous-chef dish-washing mom began making cream puffs many, many years ago when I was just a kid and she was … younger.  This is the ingredient list:

• 1 cup Boiling water
• 1/2 cup Butter or Margarine
• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 4 Eggs

So what makes a cream puff a cream puff and a Popover … different?   With the exception of water for milk and a pinch of salt the ingredient list is the same although differing amounts.  I’m no rocket scientist but I guess the bottom line is an extra egg here, a little more butter there and voilà your creation changes from a Popover! to a Cream Puff or visa versa.
If I knew then what I know now — I would have made Popovers! a long time ago.  Oh my gosh, these are so quick, easy, and unbelievably delicious.  The 5 ingredients go into a blender, in no particular order.  The batter is whirled until smooth, which for me was less than a minute.

The directions say to prepare nine 3/4 cup custard cups or ten 1/2 cup muffin tins.  I divided the batter between 8 custard cups.  I started out with 1/3 cup batter (measured) and quickly dispensed with the measuring cup and just poured it in each cup.I rather imagine that is why I filled 8 instead of 9.  I don’t really know if Dorie Greenspan sometimes “wings it” but from what I have seen of Julia Child, she wouldn’t have minded a bit 🙂  The batter filled custard cups are then popped into the oven.

Fifteen minutes later these beauties were ready to be slathered with butter and honey and popped! into my mouth.  In retrospect, I should have waited at least a few minutes because these come out of the oven HOT! and into my mouth HOT! (will I never learn?)

Our TWD hosts will post the actual recipe.  They are:

Paula of Vintage Kitchen Notes

http://www.vintagekitchennotes.blogspot.com/

Amy of Bake With Amy

http://bakewithamy.wordpress.com/

The contributing baker for Popovers is Marion Cunningham.  Marion Cunningham, a former California homemaker was to become one of America’s most famous and enthusiastic advocates of home cooking.  In 2002 she said  “No one is cooking at home anymore, so we are losing all the wonderful lessons we learn at the dinner table.”  I so agree.  In July she passed away at the age of 90.  I am so glad the TWD bakers chose to honor her this month by featuring this recipe.

~Blessings,Catherine

“I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” Psalm 16:8 NIV