Fresh Thyme Popovers: Live and Learn

First of all, I should called these BABY-POPovers, because they cause babies to pop out.

Meaning: Nora had a baby after eating these.


Anyway...

I have always been told that when you want to make a particular recipe, you need to read it all the way through before starting, so you know the steps, and you are prepared. I am remarkably vigilant about this, to the point of reading a recipe 15 times before I start. I really feel like it helps me to know exactly how long it will take to make, and I will be sure that all my ingredients are in order. Well, we decided to go visit my sister on Saturday, so on Friday night, I made a last minute decision to try my hand at these Fresh Thyme Popovers. I read the recipe several times, shopped for the ingredients (the fresh thyme did not look fresh, so I opted for dried), and then came home to give it a try. Well, the recipe was really easy, not to mention relatively neat. I was impressed that I didn't have a crazy kitchen to clean afterward. There was only one tiny glitch. The last 2 words of the recipe, somehow escaped me. Ready??

Serve immediately.

Um, hello?! Popover sink and look hideous when you serve them the next day! The following day, I brought the pops to Nora's house, where we reheated them in the oven to restore the hot crustiness. They got good reviews, though they weren't quite "pretty." Next time, I will serve immediately. Oh, and one more caveat to this recipe - it only make 8 popovers, which seems like sort of a strange amount, though I guess the recipe aims to avoid leftovers. In fact, I didn't even have a chance to try them, because I wanted there to be enough for everyone else. So, Nora, Adam, Mom, Dad, Jeri, Warren, and Maya? What did you think? Comments welcome!

Guess what? You don't need a popover pan to make these! They work great in a muffin tin, though a popover pan would've resulted in a more dramatic POP.


The parmesan crust really adds an element of "yum" to this recipe.

Popovers are very airy inside, so at Nora's house, most people broke them open and stuffed them with cold cuts. Interesting. I think they'd be delicious with a stew or soup. Unfortunately, Kevin would not eat these, because of the cheese. Bummer.


Fresh Thyme Popovers
Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 popover)
Ingredients

* 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
* 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme (I used 3/4 tsp of dried, because the thyme at my market looked sad)
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup 1% low-fat milk
* 2 large eggs
* 1 tablespoon butter, melted
* Cooking spray
* 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, thyme, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Combine milk and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended; let stand 30 minutes. Gradually add flour mixture to milk mixture, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in melted butter.

3. Coat 8 popover cups with cooking spray; sprinkle cheese evenly among cups. Place cups in oven at 375° for 5 minutes. Divide batter evenly among prepared cups. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until golden. Serve immediately.
Nutritional Information

Calories: 97 (27% from fat)
Fat: 2.9g (sat 1.5g,mono 1g,poly 0.3g)
Protein: 4.3g
Carbohydrate: 12.4g
Fiber: 0.4g
Cholesterol: 51mg
Iron: 1mg
Sodium: 200mg
Calcium: 52mg