Popovers

I have tried dozens...yes DOZENS...of popover recipes in my short lifetime.  Because here's the thing the thing about popovers...only a select few recipes manage to make the popovers pop every time.  So there I was, staring, yet again, at the family recipe passed down to my Danish grandmother, to my dad when he married, to my mother (obviously), and finally to me...all of whom had to deal with seriously faulty recipe.  The success ratio was about 50-50.  "And let me tell you," said my dad, reminiscing about his childhood, "It was a bad day for the whole house when the popovers didn't pop." 

This just wouldn't do.

So, dear reader, to you I present the ultimate popover recipe.  It pops every time.  No matter what the weather.  Or political affiliation.  Or mood swings.  Or what you happen to be wearing that day.

Because the secret is...*drumroll*...BLENDING.  Yes.  That's right.  Oh, and also try to use room temperature ingredients.

Keep that in mind for later, but for now...

Let's introduce the cast of characters.

Yeah, there's only five.

One of the many reasons that breakfast food rocks.

While you're measuring them all out, make sure the oven's preheating.  It has to be completely heated to 400 degrees before sliding in the batter.

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 T melted butter

1/2 tsp salt

And...

4-3/4 ounces flour (by weight)

Which turned out to be about 1 cup + 2 tsp.  But flour volume changes from day to day depending on humidity, age of the flour, and all sorts of random stuff.  So, just to be safe...weigh it.

Dump everything into a bowl with a pouring spout.

DON'T MIX YET!  Phew.  This is popover life or death.  Seriously.

Generously grease your tins.  

It'll make your dish washing existence SO much easier.

I drop about 1/4 a tablespoon butter in the bottom of each well and pop it into the oven to melt.

While that's meltin'...

Blend the batter until frothy.

I use an immersion blender.  If you don't have one, a regular stand-blender works just as well.

But, here's the key: You want all those little bubbles in the batter to expand in the oven.  For that, you have to blend it RIGHT before it goes in the oven.  A whisk just doesn't cut it.

Fill the tins.

And bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes (for crispy crusts).

Or (if your husband begs for it like mine does) at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 325 (do not open the door) and bake for another 20 minutes (for softer crusts).

And...voila.

Beautiful.

Unfortunately, I failed to use room temp ingredients today.

Otherwise they would have popped higher.

That is why patience is a virtue.

So, what do you do with popovers?

First, tear them open.

The inside will be miraculously hollow.  Cool, right?

Second, fill with fresh fruit, jam, and whipped cream (preferably homemade).

And then sink into culinary bliss.

Because this, my friends, is what breakfast really should taste like.

Enjoy.

RECIPE: POPOVERS

Makes 6 large popovers

2 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

4-3/4 oz. all-purpose flour

1 Tbs butter (melted)

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven COMPLETELY to 400 degrees F.  Generously grease popover tins.

Combine all ingredients in a blender. (Do not blend until both oven and pans are ready).  Fill tins 2/3 full and bake for 40 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Storing leftovers:  Vent popovers as soon as they are cool enough to handle (just poke a hole in the top) to prevent the insides from going mushy.  Store at room temperature for up to 2-3 days.  To reheat, place directly on the middle rack of a 400 degree oven for 3 minutes.

Whole wheat pancakes with cinnamon syrup

This is a super healthy breakfast compared to other options! And best of all, these pancakes taste AMAZING. Plus, they are a great way to use your food storage, and they fill you up really well. We even had these for dinner last night as a fun "breakfast for dinner" and we served them with orange juice, a few sausages, and fresh raspberries.


Blender Wheat Pancakes

1 cup whole kernels of wheat (you can use red or white)
1 ½ cups milk or buttermilk (divided)
2 eggs
¼ cup oil
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3 tbsp. brown sugar


Blend wheat and 1 cup of milk (I just add some vinegar to my milk to make it curdle) in blender for 4 min. Let mixture rest to soften kernels (about 5-10 minutes). Add remaining ingredients and blend until incorporated. Fry pancakes on skillet or fry pan. You'll want to make the pancakes kind of small and wait to flip them until they have lots of air bubbles and the edges are dry. If you time it right, these pancakes flip SO EASILY. You'll also notice that the first pancakes will be kind of thin, but as time goes by the batter will thicken up and the last pancakes will be puffier. If you want to avoid this, you can let the batter rest a second time after all the ingredients are added.


From the kitchen of Tannie Datwyler (Courtesy of C’Anne Petersen)

I recommend you serve the pancakes with cinnamon syrup, though you certainly can use maple (I've tried both and believe me, the cinnamon is perfect for these). If you are going to make the syrup you'll want to start making it AFTER you blend the wheat and milk (while the batter is resting). That gives you something to do while the wheat kernels soften.

Cinnamon Syrup

2 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup water
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup cream (or evaporated milk)

In saucepan stir all ingredients except cream. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Cool slightly and pour over pancakes or waffles. The syrup will thicken as it cools. Serve it warm and store in the fridge.


*This makes quite a bit of syrup, so half the recipe if you aren't serving a huge crowd.

From the kitchen of Tannie Datwyler (courtesy of Shelly Flake)


That's it! I don't even butter my pancakes before I pour on that cinnamon syrup - I don't think it needs it. :) So delicious, and so good for you.

German Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour
6 large eggs
1 tbsp of butter per pancake (if using a 9x13 pan, double amount of butter
8x8 or 9x9 or 9x13 inch GLASS pans

Preheat oven to 450 degrees (depending on thickness of pancakes). Mix together milk, flour eggs, and salt and set aside. When oven is at temperature put one tablespoon of butter in each pand and put in oven until butter sizzles. Take out the pan pour 1/2 cup (double amount if using 9x13 pan) of the mixture immediately into the pan and return to oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes (20 minutes for 9x13 pan).
Good Toppings: Just butter and plain powdered sugar is our favorite. But syrup, jam, or fruit are also good.
From the kichent of Richard and Tannie Datwyler

Cream Cheese French Toast

This is a new twist on an old favorite.

Ingrediants:
1 loaf French bred (sliced into 1/2-1 inch slices)
4 eggs
1/4-1/2 cup of milk
butter (for frying)

Topping:

1 package cream cheese (8oz) softened
1 cup powder sugar
Fresh or Frozen berries (sweetened with sugar if desired) or freezer jam


Beat your eggs and gradually add milk until egg batter reachers desired consistency (it depends on how eggy you like your French toast, so you decide how much milk to add). Hear skillet or frying pan and drop butter onto pan to grease. Dip both sides of French bread slices into egg and then put directly onto skillet. Fry on both sides until golden brown and no longer gooey (I find it a bit better to cook on a lower heat so that the egg can cook and the bread doesn't burn). Make as many pieces of French toast as desired (you can create more egg batter if needed), and place in a tupperware lined with papper towels to keep warm until ready to serve.

To make topping (I usually make this in advance). Make sure that the cream cheese is soft enough to stir with a spoon. Place it in a bowl and added powdered sugar gradually while stirring by hand (you can also do this with a hand mixer, but I find that I am faster when I don't have to get out extra equipment). Taste periodically and add more sugar to desired sweetness.

Top warm French toast with cream cheese and then berries or freezer jam (I usually use freezer jam in the winter when fresh berries are difficult to come by). Add more powdered sugar if desired. For little kids you can also use syrup like traditional French toast.

Tips:
I don't generally put any cinnamon in the egg batter like I would with traditional French toast since I use cream cheese and berries instead of syrup. If I have left over eggs I like to add a few more eggs and then fry them up like scrambled eggs in the pan (sometimes I'll top them with cheese). I've tried a couple different types of French Bread and I've found that bagged French breads taste the best (my favorite being Sam's Club, but Wal-Mart also carries bagged French bread) because they are a bit softer. Lee's French bread is a bit dryer and more brittle and doesn't turn as well for this French toast.

From the kitchen of Tannie.

Waffles

This is my favorite waffle recipe, the vanilla makes it extra delicious!

1 3/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup cooking oil or melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl and make a well. In a separate container, beat the eggs slightly and add the rest of the wet ingredients to eggs. Mix wet ingredients together and pour into the well in middle of dry ingredients. Stir together until batter is moistened, it should be slightly lumpy. On a hot waffle iron pour correct amount of batter for your waffle iron and bake to manufactures instructions. Enjoy with your favorite waffle toppings!