12 Apr Birthdays and Popovers!

Posted at 22:16h in Journaling Life, Joy by

It was as perfect a day as Houston could get. Ellen, like she does every year, was throwing a birthday luncheon for her daughter and my sweet, kind and fun friend Mollie at the historic, quaint Bayou Club.  It was a perfect example of how celebrating loved ones in our hurried lives, punctuates it and inspires us to cherish life itself.

The guests basked in southern hospitality and the amber glow of a high Texas sun staged a  perfect backdrop for the impeccable flower arrangements and vintage decor. The exquisite champagne was only a prelude to the piquant lunch that was clearly detailed by a passionate heart with refined sensibilities.

I especially loved the popovers (a cousin of the Yorkshire pudding) which lend itself an element of surprise to my unexpecting palate…and as usual I was making a mental note to make some version of these little scrumptious treats for my kids…maybe today!!

My indulgent lunch precluded me from  making anything elaborate for an after-school snack and I decided to make a quick, sweet popover. These use ingredients you likely have in your fridge and pantry, are quick and have the stamp of approval from my kids…hence the blog!

I rush home and dump all the ingredients into the blender (taking care not to mess up my pale pink linen dress), turn it up on high and let it go for 2 minutes. (You don’t have to melt the butter before blending…it will melt while processing.) The batter rests in the blender so that the flour can absorb the liquid for a better texture.

I preheat the oven to 450 degrees F, cut up the butter, put it into the muffin tray and run upstairs quickly to change out of my luncheon clothes and into my mommy clothes!

After the oven is preheated, the muffin pan goes into it to heat up for 1 minute. (Don’t skip this step!) You’ll hear the butter spluttering in the oven and thats OK. The muffin pan with melted butter is taken out of the oven and a pastry brush is used to rub the butter in the pan.  If you have a good non-stick muffin pan, you can skip the brushing and just swirl the pan a little instead.

 

The batter is given  another spin in the blender for 20 seconds, and poured into the wells almost to the top.

 

The temperature of the oven is then decreased to 425 degrees and they are baked for about 30 minutes. (It’s important not to open the oven during the first 20 mts. After that it can be checked on and removed once they are a deep golden brown.) While they are baking I melt the butter and make  a mixture of sugar and cinnamon to coat the popovers.

Once they are out, they are popped onto a cooling rack and slits are made at the base for the steam to escape.

 

While they cooled, I rushed out to pick up the kids from school. Once I got back I brushed them with melted butter and tossed them in the sugar-cinammon mixture to coat.

  

These hollow crusty confections are loaded on love and dissapear in a hurry…or as my son declared, ”These are better than cinnamon rolls!”…which in our household is HUGE!!!

Cinnamon-Sugar Popovers

Ingredients

Batter

  • 1 1/2 Cup whole milk (or 2%)
  • 3 Large Eggs
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter diced
  • 1 1/2 Cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • pinch of salt

2 Tablespoons Butter cut up into 12 parts to grease the muffin pan

Coating
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
A mixture of 1/2 Cup Sugar ( I usually need slightly less than that) and 1 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
Method
1. Blend together batter ingredients for 2 minutes or until well blended and frothy. Let it rest in the blender.
2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
3. Put cut up butter pieces into each muffin well.
4. Put the muffin pan into the preheated oven for 1 minute.
5. Give the batter another spin for 20 seconds.
6. Get the muffin pan out, pour the batter almost to the top of the wells and quickly return to the oven.
7. After 5 minutes, turn the temp down to 425 degrees F and bake for about 30 mts.
8. Do not open the oven for the first 25 mts.
9. After 25 mts, check on the pop overs and remove when a deep golden brown. I bake them for the whole 30 mts and sometimes more so that they can crisp up. In this case don’t go by the smell but by the color.
10. Turn them out onto a cooling rack and make a slit with a paring knife on the bottom of the popovers to let the steam out.
11. When they are cool enough to handle, brush with butter and toss in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
12. Serve warm.
13. Bon appetit and celebrate your loved ones!
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