Saturday, April 11, 2009

Successful Experiment - Popovers

One of my favorite breakfasts is my German Oven Puffed Pancake - topped with powdered sugar and toasted almonds, and served with raspberry jam. But it's the main course - and I wanted something similar to use as a side dish. It must have been serendipity when I stumbled across a recipe for popovers on Min's blog - The Bad Girl's Kitchen. While we were camped at Lone Pine last week, I tried them in our little oven in the trailer. This is what they looked like:



While they tasted wonderful, they were undercooked, I think, and a bit on the rubbery side. The recipe said to "prick them with fork to let the steam escape," but these had no steam inside. I think there were two problems - one was the inconsistency of the trailer oven. It cooks very hot underneath (even with a stone in there to deflect the heat), so I have to sometimes remove things before they're truly done. The other problem, I thought, was that the flour-to-milk ratio was wrong (for me).


So, this morning I decreased the flour by 1/2 cup and used 3/4 cup. Add to that the fact that I was using my home oven, which is much more reliable. Take a look at these! Not only are they a rich golden brown, they rose so nicely that each one has a huge cavern of air inside. Boy, these were just delectable!

So here's my recipe, adapted from Min's.


Popovers

butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray
2 eggs
1 cup milk
3/4 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375˚. Spray the insides of 12 - 14 muffin cups with cooking spray. (I use free-standing silicone cups, so I can adjust the number easily). Break eggs into the mixing bowl, add milk and beat well with a whisk. Add flour and salt and whisk until blended. Using a small ladle or 1/2-cup measuring cup, fill muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot with jam, honey, or maple syrup.

2 comments:

Min said...

Hi Cyndi, I agree that the first batch looks really undercooked. Interesting that you felt you had to change the ratio of milk-flour, but 1/4 cup isn't much different. I wonder what would happen if you kept the original measurements and baked them at home in your "good" oven? We're at 5,300 feet, but don't seem to have many altitude issues...Anyway, I'm glad they turned out for you the second time! Thanks for trying the recipe.
Min
The Bad Girl's Kitchen

Min said...

Funny, I've never heard of pfannenkuchen! I think it's so interesting how different ratios of the same ingredients produce similar (or different!) results! I make a baked pancake too, but it's much more custardy than the popovers, which were delightfully crunchy and crusty on the outside, soft on the inside. My husband's family also makes "Dutch babies" which are very similar to my baked pancakes, but the ingredients are a completely different ratio...so fun to compare notes!
The Bad Girl's Kitchen