My first time dining at BLT Steak in New York City (2006) was extremely memorable – and this may cause some ruffled feathers, because sadly, I don’t remember whom I had dinner with – which cocktail I tried – or what I ate for dinner, and that’s pretty bonkers for me. What I do remember was the popover. The smell, the feel, the taste. Fluffy, oddly shaped, crispy outside, airy inside muffin, which was served complimentary the minute you were seated, with a side of salted butter. The best part (besides the glorious popover) is that they included the recipe. This may date me a bit – but this was before you could just instantly find recipes online. Chef Laurent Tourondel just gave the recipe away. That was a game changer for me. Recipes are meant to be shared.
Yes, I do have a popover pan, it’s what makes the mushroom like top and the super airy inside. Can you use a muffin tin, yes? But I encourage you to get a popover pan ($16.45 on Amazon) – you probably have a springform pan in the pantry – and really, how often do you use that? I struggle following directions (yeah, I know – shocking), that’s why I’m not the baker in the family, but these really do turn out perfectly if you follow the directions, exactly, and only open the oven ONCE during the cooking process.
Now, you wouldn’t think sifting the salt and flour would be an important step *again, me and directions* but it makes the batter so light and airy. The recipe calls for gruyere cheese, and it’s delicious with it, but I had an aged bourbon cheddar in the fridge – so I used that. Any grated cheese will work, just sift the flour.
BLT Popovers
Ingredients
- 3 cups milk
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbs. kosher salt
- 6 eggs
- 6 oz. Gruyère cheese, grated
Directions
- Place a 6-cup popover pan in the bottom third of an oven. Place a baking sheet on the rack underneath to catch any drips. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the milk until small bubbles form around the edges. Put the flour and salt in a fine-mesh sieve and sift onto a sheet of waxed paper. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until frothy, about 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in the hot milk, whisking constantly so the eggs don’t cook, then gradually whisk in the flour mixture until almost smooth.
- Remove the popover pan from the oven and spray the cups with non stick vegetable spray. Fill the prepared cups about three-fourths full with batter and sprinkle each with 1/2 oz. cheese.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then rotate the pan 180 degrees. Continue baking until the popovers are browned and puffed, 30 minutes more; do not open the oven after rotating the pan.
- Invert the pan and remove the popovers. Serve immediately. Using a paper towel, wipe out the excess fat from the popover cups. Heat the pan in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Repeat to bake the remaining batter. Makes 12 popovers.
Recipe courtesy of BLT Steak.