10.13.2011

Popovers with Maple Butter

When I was growing up, my family celebrated special occasions at a cozy little hideaway called Normandie Farm Restaurant. It’s a super old-school place that serves up dishes like Clams Casino and Beef Wellington, and I am fairly certain that they haven’t altered the menu much over the past 80 years. Perhaps the main reason that my family frequented Normandie Farm was their trademark popovers that arrived at the table piping hot from the oven. For me, popovers are synonymous with the restaurant. Celebrating my Confirmation, graduation, or birthday meant popping open one too many golden popovers. I loved tearing the crispy crust, watching the steam escape, and then slathering their airy, eggy centers with pads of cold butter. I’d watch the butter quickly melt into puddles and then I’d devour them immediately. I’m sure I looked like quite the little popover monster disguised in my Sunday’s best.

With the weather starting to get chilly, I felt the need to whip up my own batch of popovers. Typically, they are served around the holidays with roasts, but I wanted to keep things simple by just topping them with some homemade maple butter. The recipe calls for basic ingredients and the end result is warm, comforting, and delicious. The best part is that it doesn’t have to be a special occasion to feast on these puffy little treats and you can be as much of a monster as you please.

Maple Butter

Ingredients

½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup pure maple syrup

Method

Using an electric mixer, beat until butter and syrup are combined. Add a pinch of salt if using unsalted butter. Slather on warm popovers and enjoy!

Popovers
Makes 6-8 popovers

Ingredients

2 eggs
1 cup All-purpose flour
1 cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
Butter or cooking spray

Method

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease muffin or popover pan. Place the pan in the oven for about 3 minutes, until hot.

In a bowl, beat eggs, flour, milk, and salt until just smooth. Do not to overbeat. Fill cups ¾ of the way full. The pan should be hot when doing this. Bake for 20 minutes. Decrease oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 15 minutes more. During the entire baking time, do not open the oven because this will prevent popovers from, well, popping over. Serve warm from the oven and top with maple butter.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

That maple butter looks awesome

Barbara said...

My family loves popovers and I can't wait to try this recipe!