National Cherry Popover Day
Happy National Cherry Popover Day
Who knew? I’m always down for sweet baked goods so this “find” is aces with me. The “popover” name derives from the way the batter pops up while it swells during the baking. Although there are special pans for popovers the recipes we found say regular muffin pans work just as well.
The history of the popover seems to begin with the “Yorkshire Pudding” recipes in England. Yorkshire Pudding is actually not pudding at all the way we think of it today, but rather a fluffy pastry made in the roasting pan of a rib roast after the meat is removed. Sometime in the mid 1800’s written descriptions of using the basic batter to create fruity desserts began appearing and the “Popover” of today was born.
The recipe below reflects my own personal taste for something just a bit tart with my sweet tooth but there are very many variations of this basic recipe. Just a note from my French grandmother who was a fabulous baker: Whether your recipe calls for it or not, if fluffy is your goal, separate your eggs first, whisk the whites, then gently fold the yolks, then slowly add about ¼ of your warm milk mixture to the eggs before you fold your eggs into the warm milk. This prevents the eggs from cooking prematurely just by adding them to the heated milk. It is also very important to wait for the oven temperature to heat all the way up to 450° before baking.
CHERRY LEMON POPOVERS
Ingredients:
- 1 cup milk
- 2 large egges
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- Zest from 1 lemon
- Juice from 1 lemon
- ½ cup frozen cherries
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450°
- Warm the milk in the microwave, then add 1 Tbsp of the melted butter
- Whisk the eggs, then fold into the milk mixture
- Add the flour, salt, sugar, zest and juice and mix just until blended
- Preheat the muffin pans and drizzle the warmed pans with the remaining melted butter
- Divide the batter evenly among the cups, top the batter with the cherries
- Bake at 450° for 15 minutes, then lower the oven to 350° for an additional 15 minutes
Note: As with any soufflé-style recipe, opening the oven while baking will cause the pastry to deflate.
Whether you bake them yourself or buy from your favorite baker, enjoy National Cherry Popover Day and as Julia Child would say, “Bon Appetit”!