I love popovers! Bread and rolls are good too and I do love them but popovers are special. They are light and puffy inside and crispy on the outside. They are elegant too. If you are having a dinner party they are the perfect thing to fill the bread basket with. Have some elegant bread plates and butter knives at each place and pass the popovers. Or just set the basket on the buffet for a more informal gathering. But don't just reserve them for company, your family deserves some loving too! They are not hard to make.
This version is a little more time consuming because I made an herb pesto to go inside but it was worth it. You can use any herbs you want. I picked a selection from my garden. Definitely use a good quality extra virgin olive oil because it really shines through in the end. I used an aged gouda for the cheese but you can use any full flavored cheese. These popovers were light and crispy on the outside. The inside was creamy and rich - a little moister than a plain popover because of the pesto. I used a popover pan but you can use muffin tins. They will not rise as dramatically in a muffin tin but they will still taste great. Enjoy.
Herb Pesto
3/4 cup loosely packed chopped fresh herbs (I used 1 tablespoon each chopped fresh Oregano and Rosemary and 1/3 cup each chopped Parsley and Basil)
1 large clove garlic crushed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
pinch of salt
Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until finely chopped, scraping down the bowl as needed. You will have about 3-4 tablespoons of pesto.
Popovers - makes 6
1 cup AP flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup of milk
2 eggs
1 batch Herb Pesto
1/2 cup grated aged gouda cheese
butter for popover pan
Preheat oven to 350. Place about 1/2 teaspoon of butter in each popover pan.
Mix together the flour and the salt. Heat the milk until very warm (about 120 F). Beat the eggs.
At this point place the popover pan in the oven to heat it up and melt the butter.
Add the milk to the eggs and whisk to blend. Whisk in the flour mixture until blended. A few lumps are ok. Add the Herb Pesto and blend it in.
Remove the popover pan from the oven and use a pastry brush to distribute the butter. Divide the batter among the cavities. Top the batter with some cheese,
dividing it among the popovers.
Bake the popovers for 45 minutes. Remove from pans and serve hot.
Bon Appetit!
