Julia Child’s Popover Recipe – with your choice of two different temperature settings, which result in two slightly different types of popovers!
These particular popovers came out super high and crusty ’cause I actually left them in a bit too long at 425F – maybe 3 – 4 minutes too long ’cause I took some popovers over to a neighbor – and got back a bit too late.. No biggy – I just cooked them 3 – 4 minutes less at 350F. And, can you believe I did the same thing AGAIN while talking to a friend on the phone…. I re-set the timer but forgot to lower the oven temperature. The popovers were HUGE. Which just goes to show that popovers are actually ‘pretty forgiving’!
++ For the Dos & Don’ts of making popovers – plus information I discovered while researching popover recipes AND the first recipe in ‘The Popover Experiment” – go to https://myyellowfarmhouse.wordpress.com/2013/11/01/the-popover-experiment-recipe-no-1-brown-n-crusty-on-the-outside-soft-creamy-on-the-inside/
While working on ‘The Popover Experiment’, I tried two recipes attributed to Julia Child. The first recipe (from the book Baking with Julia) I found at vintagekitchen.com. It has the same list of ingredients as the recipe called Julia Child Popovers, found on Blogspot. The difference between the two recipes is the temperature at the end, when you lower the heat from 425F. Vintage Kitchen instructs lowering the heat to 350F, which results in a slightly bigger and slightly drier popover than the recipe from Blogspot.
The Blogspot recipe recommends lowering the temperature to 325F. The resulting popovers are slightly smaller in size, with softer exteriors and creamy centers. These popovers tend to deflate more than the popovers cooked (at the end) at 350F, but that’s no biggy because they’ll probably be gone before they have time to cool and deflate.
Tip !! If using older popover pans without nonstick coating, butter each section.
Tip !! If using muffin tins or ramekins, butter each section. You’re going to have too much batter for a six-cup muffin pan, so use a 12-cup pan. Fill each section 1/3 full, and fill any empty sections with water. The popovers won’t be as big as those made in the new style popover pans but they’ll be wonderful.
Yield – 6 popovers if using popover tin. 8 to 10 popovers if using ramekins/muffin tin.
For softer popovers – – 425F for 25 minutes… then lower to 325F for 15 – 20 minutes
For crustier popovers – – 425F for 25 minutes… then lower to 350F for 15 – 20 minutes
INGREDIENTS & METHOD
- 1 cup WHOLE milk (or 2%)
- 3 eggs
- 2 Tbs. melted butter
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt
In a medium bowl, whisk or beat 1 cup WHOLE milk (or 2%), 3 eggs, 2 Tbs. melted butter, 1 cup flour and 1/2 salt until well blended. (If you have a few small lumps, that’s OK.)
Fill each section of your popover pan equally with the batter. (There’s no need to butter your popover pan if its nonstick. Otherwise, it’s probably wise to butter it, just to be sure.)
++ For smaller, creaminer-in-the middle popovers, bake at 425F for 25 minutes, then lower heat to 325F for 15 – 20 minutes.
++ For larger, drier popovers, lower heat to 350F for 15 – 20 minutes.
Your popovers are done when they’re puffed & lightly browned. I don’t know about you – but I think it’s rather magical how popover puff!! Recipes usually warn about opening the oven, but, if it’s at the very end, it won’t make any difference.
Immediately after removing popovers from oven, pierce each with a sharp knife to release steam. Popovers are best served immediately. However, if you wish to save some for later, I recommend laying each popover on its side on a cooling rack until cooled, then covering each with plastic wrap. Enjoy !!
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