Popovers, including this version of Cheddar Chive Popovers, are the preferred “bread” of those who a) forgot to buy dinner rolls, b) forgot to buy dinner rolls and have no intention whatsoever of making them, and c) people who really like popovers. Full disclosure – ‘C’ is me. It’s a blender mix that you pour into a popover pan (pictured below) or into a regular muffin tin.
The History
Traditional English popovers are called Yorkshire Pudding and use rendered beef fat instead of butter in the mix. Both taste good and I’ll bet some lard, if you have it, would be good too, especially if you are serving pork loin but butter is the old reliable. If you use the popover pan they will be very traditionally tall but the muffin tin works well if you like them smaller.
In either case you’ll fill them about half to two thirds full. And if you don’t have or like cheese or chives just skip that and you’ll just have wonderful hot bread, but I have to say that the slightly charred cheddar is really tasty.
The Prep
First you will want to preheat the oven with the pan inside and melt the butter on your stove top. Next you’ll just break out the blender and drop in all the ingredients blending until very smooth. The rise comes from the egg whites so make sure everything is room temperature to achieve maximum volume. Once blended spoon some melted butter into each cup and then fill about half way with the batter.
Pop the popovers into the oven and time it so you don’t forget to turn down the heat after 10 minutes. Also good to keep the oven door closed until removing them. If your oven doesn’t have a window you can peek towards the end but make it quick.
Once finished scatter the chopped chives over it all and enjoy with your rib roast or bone in individual ribeye that I have here.
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 cup flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. pepper
- ¼ cup melted butter (or rendered beef fat)
- ⅓ cup grated cheese
- 1 bunch of chives, snipped
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Place eggs, milk, butter, seasonings and and flour in a blender and blend until smooth.*
- Grease popover or muffin pan & put in oven for a few minutes.
- Remove and spoon in about a teaspoon of butter or other fat, fill each cup about ½ to ⅔rds full, then top with about ½ tsp. of the grated cheese & chives.
- Cook for 15 minutes at 450, then reduce to 350 for another 10 minutes, or until brown on top.
- This will make 6 popovers using the popover pan or 12 in a muffin pan.
Can be whisked together if you don't have a blender. Beef fat from the bottom of the roasting pan can (and should) be substituted for the melted butter. Do not open oven door while baking, this will deflate the popovers and will make them look like nasty little hockey pucks.
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