I love homemade preserves.  So much that I’m always looking for new pastries or baked goods to smear them on.  This is a favorite recipe because the simplicity of the popover let’s the topping really shine.  Don’t get me wrong, these popovers are still delicious on their own!  You can also enjoy sweet or savory versions of this recipe by adding cheese, sugar or spices to the batter.  A few items to note:

• this batter can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator, as long as you allow it to come to room temperature before baking
• ingredients can be combined by hand, mixer, food processor or blender
• popovers need to be enjoyed immediately – do not let them sit and cool
• makes 6 popovers

Ingredients:

• 1  1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 extra-large eggs
• 1  1/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 even pieces

Preheat the oven to 400°F and place the baking rack in the middle of the oven. Lightly oil or spray the popover tin and place in the preheated oven for 2 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, eggs, milk and melted butter .  Mix for 1-2 minutes.

Place 1 small piece of the cut butter into each cup of the warm popover tin and place back in the preheated oven for about 1 minute (butter will start to bubble).

Fill each cup half full with batter and bake for 20 minutes.  Reduce the temperature to 300°F and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes (my popovers always seems to be ready around 18 minutes).

Remove popovers from the oven and tin.  Puncture the side with a sharp knife to let the steam escape and serve immediately.