Neiman Marcus Popovers
Popovers are another trademark food item-and the most recognizable-at Neiman
Marcus restaurants. As we open new restaurants around the country, I always warn
our chefs that they should never run out of popovers during lunch. Invariably,
shortly after opening, they do anyway because they have not gotten the timing
down yet-these popovers take almost an hour to bake and if you are not paying
attention, you get caught waiting for them to finish. The worst sin a chef can
commit at Neiman Marcus is to attempt to send out different bread to substitute
for late popovers. I let them know that it's better to tell our customers that
the popovers will take a few more minutes, because they'll prefer to wait.
Popovers are best served straight from the oven. If you're serious about perfect
popovers, I recommend checking your oven calibration with an accurate oven
thermometer. Remember that these popovers rise by three or four inches, so make
sure your oven racks are spaced appropriately.
Makes 1 dozen popovers
3 1/2 cups milk
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 large eggs, at room temperature
Preheat the oven to 450F.
Place the milk in a bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes, or until warm to
the touch. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a large mixing
bowl.
Crack the eggs into the work bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk and
beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until foamy and pale in color. Turn
down the mixer to low and add the warm milk.
Gradually add the flour mixture and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
Turn the machine off and let the batter rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
Spray a popover tin generously with nonstick spray. Fill the popover cups almost
to the top with the batter and place the popover tin on a cookie sheet. Transfer
to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Turn down the oven temperature to 375F and bake for 30 to 35 minutes longer,
until the popovers are a deep golden brown on the outside and airy on the
inside. Turn out the popovers and serve hot with strawberry butter.
CHEF'S NOTE: The key to making great popovers is having the eggs and milk warm
before mixing. It is also important to let the batter sit for an hour before
baking it. Popovers do not freeze well and pre-made batter has a tendency not to
work properly the next day. To make this recipe, you will need a Teflon-lined
popover pan with a 12-cup capacity. These are available at kitchen equipment and
specialty stores, and some cooking mail-order catalogs. (Recipelink.com Editor's
Note: muffin pans or custard cups may also be used to make popovers.)