POPOVERS

• Place the eggs in a medium bowl and cover with hot water (as hot as your tap will go). Let them sit for 10 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450°F and move the oven rack to a low position (to prepare for huge popovers!). Grease the popover pan thoroughly inside each cup as well as around the top edges.
• With your whisk, beat together the eggs, milk, and salt until they are combined. The yolks should be completely blended in.
• Add the flour and whisk until the mixture is frothy and all large lumps are gone. Then quickly stir in the melted butter.
• Divide the batter between the prepared popover cups. They should be about 3/4 of the way full.
• Bake the popovers for 20 minutes without opening the oven door and then reduce the heat to 350°F(again without opening the door),. Bake for another 10 or 15 minutes. The popovers will be very golden brown.
• If you plan on serving the popovers immediately, remove them from the oven, and stick the tip of a knife into the top of each, to release steam and help prevent sogginess. Slip them out of the pan, and serve.
• If you want the popovers to hold their shape longer without deflating and settling quite as much, bake them for an additional 5 minutes (for a total of 40 minutes) IF you can do so without them becoming too dark. This will make them a bit sturdier, and able to hold their "popped" shape a bit longer.

TIPS

• For cheese popovers, add 1/4 cup Vermont Cheese Powder to the batter along with the flour.
• For herbed popovers, stir 1 1/2 teaspoons of Pizza Seasoning, or 1/2 tsp of your favorite dried herbs, ie thyme into the batter along with the flour.
• Want to make the batter in a blender? Go for it. Blend eggs, milk, and salt; add flour, blending till smooth; then add the melted butter at the end, blending till frothy.
• Serve with honey butter or maple butter: 4 ounces (1 stick) softened butter mixed with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 2 to 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup.
• Or, serve with cheese butter: 4 ounces (1 stick) softened butter mixed with 2 tablespoons Vermont Cheese Powder.
• Using a popover pan, this recipe will make six standard popovers; or 18 minis. The minis need to bake about 10 minutes less than indicated; the standard popovers, about 5 minutes more.