popovers

Happy Friday!  Today I thought I would share one of my FAVORITE Thanksgiving treats with you- Cheese Popovers.  Really, there is nothing especially "Thanksgiving-y" about them except that I usually only make them for Thanksgiving dinners.  (And for the occasional Labor Day Lobster Fest...)

I should note that these turn out best if you have a popover pan, but I have made them on occasion with just a muffin pan.  When you use a muffin pan you won't get the "pop" of the popover, but they will still taste great.

Feel free to try different variations on the cheese.  I have used gouda, gruyere, and sharp cheddar- all equally delicious.  Enjoy!

Cheesy Popovers
Makes 16 popovers.  (My pan only has room for 12, so I usually save some batter for the next day...)

Ingredients:
4 C. flour
1 1/2 Tbs. salt
4 C. whole milk (I have used skim milk too and didn't notice much difference.)
8 eggs
Cooking spray
8-10 oz. shredded cheese of your choice

Directions:

1.  Place UNGREASED popover pan on a low rack of the oven.  Preheat oven to 350.  

2.  Mix flour and salt into a bowl and set aside.

3.  In a small pot, heat milk over medium heat until it just begins to boil.  In the meantime, mix eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer.  (I use a whisk attachment to add more air to the mixture.)  Slowly mix in the hot milk, keeping the mixer on low speed the entire time.  Gradually add the flour mixture and whisk until combined.  (I like to use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl here and make sure all of the flour is blended into the mix.)

4.  Remove hot popover pan from the oven and spray each cup with cooking spray.  (I put the popover pan on a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet to minimize spills for the remaining cooking time.)

5.  Pour batter into the popover cups all the way to the top.  Add cheese to the top of each cup.  (This step should be done quickly to keep the popover pan warm.)

6.  Bake for 45-50 minutes.  DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR WHILE BAKING- it will make the popovers fall prematurely.

Enjoy!

xo,