Pop on over: popovers

Yesterday, in writing about clam chowder, I talked about the various "things" you could serve with it. For Annalena, this was a live topic because our normal Monday night dinner is soup, and a pizza of some sort. Somehow, pizza was not working in the context of clam chowder. I thought through several variations, but they just weren't working, if you know what I mean.

The "standard" carb that is served with clam chowder, is oyster crackers. You know the ones I mean. Well, these were out, for two reasons.

First, Annalena's relation with crackers of any type is a difficult one. She cannot sit there and restrain herself, and has been known to eat a whole box of wheat thins, or a full cylinder of ritz crackers, and yes, pass up the soup, to eat the oyster crackers. This was not going to work.

Second, one of Annalena's "rules" of cooking is the classic: "would your grandmother recognize the ingredients? If not, then don't buy it, and don't eat it. Read the ingredients on a box of oyster crackers some day.

Yes, you can buy organic oyster crackers. I swear, you can. The same issue applies , however. I guess "whey powder" is in fact organic. Also, taste them, or better yet, DON'T. The box is tastier. So, out went that possibility.

Casting around, in the crevices of Annalena's mind, a thought came up: POPOVERS.

You remember them, don't you? They seemed to be all the rage in the 70s (don't tell me you weren't born then). I remember an episode of "The Munsters" (Yvonne deCarlo, I HOPE they paid you a lot), where they were featured, and they were a breakfast staple for a long, long time. James Beard championed them, and my understanding is that his stature is being "reassessed" in a positive way. Maybe that's what stimulated them. Who knows?

Anyway, these are easy to make and it's high time they were back on the menu. You need a muffin tin. You have one, somewhere. Go and dig it out and wash it. Then wash it again. You know you have one. (Annalena has the same relationship with muffins that she has with crackers, so hers was hidden. It took an hour to find. It was filthy. It is no longer filthy).

Now, let's get to work. First, before you do anything else, turn your oven up to 450 degrees. While this is happening, grease the muffin tins, and grease them really well. No cheating here. Use butter. REAL butter. And put the greased tins in the oven, for a good ten minutes, while you prep the ingredients. Easy as can be.

Mix together a cup of flour, a half teaspoon of salt, three beaten eggs, a cup of milk and two tablespoons of butter (you can change the fat. Remember Yorkshire pudding? It's popovers, with beef drippings. Bacon fat is used too. Sounds good, doesn't it?)

You will get a very wet, almost soupy batter, thinner (MUCH thinner), than the clam chowder you made from the last entry. Protect your hands, and pull the muffin pan out of the oven. Fill each cup 1/3 or so full ,then put them back in the oven. Close that door, and DO NOT OPEN IT A CRACK. DO NOT OPEN IT A CRACK. DO NOT OPEN IT A CRACK. Leave it for 20 minutes. Then lower the heat, to 350, and bake for another 10-20 minutes. After ten minutes, you can peek if you like, but I wouldn't risk it. Most ovens have a light that you can turn on and get a look at the color. That's what you're looking for: a nice brown color.

These will "pop up" in random fashion. Some will come up straight and tall, like little rockets. Others will look like floppy bunny ears. Some will just refuse to move, period. BUT.. they will all be eggy, soft, and JUST SO DAMN GOOD. The buttering you did previously will allow you to get them out of the tins very easily.

We will be eating them plain, with the soup, but these are superb with some more butter on them. If you are having people over for lunch, and you want to impress, you can fill them with a meat salad of some type, or scrambled eggs (especially if you use the bacon fat option).

It is high time we brought these back into the kitchen and to the dining room. Make some today.