We call these savory popovers Blooseys — adding blue cheese to popover batter is heavenly! It’s one of the simplest batters to make in a blender, and in less than half an hour, you’ll have fresh, warm popovers ready to serve. They are delightful served with salads and soups, or make a great stand-in as individual Yorkshire puddings to serve with prime rib!
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 large eggs, at room temperature
4 oz Schoch Dairy Monterey blue cheese or Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup melted ghee (clarified butter), vegetable oil, or beef pan drippings from prime rib roast
METHOD:
Adjust the oven rack to its lowest position in the oven (very important!). Start preheating the oven to 425°F. Using fingers or a pastry brush, generously grease 12 popover wells (preferably nonstick) with oil, ghee (clarified butter), or Crisco-type shortening. Be sure to grease the top rims of the pans, too.
In a blender, combine milk, salt and eggs. Blend and medium-high for 15-20 seconds.
Add flour 1/2 cup at a time and blend until combined. Scape the sides of the blender jar with a rubber spatula after each addition. When all flour is added, add crumbled blue cheese to the blender. Blend on low just enough to distribute the blue cheese — don’t liquify it. Some texture is okay! Set aside batter to rest until ready to bake.
Place the popover pan on a baking sheet. Carefully pour popover batter evenly into the popover pan, filling no more than 2/3 full.
Place popover pan and baking sheet in a hot preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and finish baking until puffed and brown, about another 15-20 minutes. For airier popovers, during the last 5 minutes of baking time, poke a small hole into the dome of the popover using a small sharp knife or wooden skewer. This will help keep the popovers crisp.
Remove from oven and serve immediately.
YIELD: 12 (using a popover pan) or more, using a muffin tin
CHEF NOTES:
- Here is a link to our favorite non-stick popover pans by Chicago Metallic. Alternately, you can bake the popovers in deep muffin tins— non-stick is best. Be careful not to overfill. The popovers will be shorter and stouter than popovers baked in a proper pan, but still quite delicious!
- When greasing the popover pan, be sure to brush not just the wells but also the tops. The batter will rise and overflow the cup, and we don’t want the batter to stick to the top of the pan.
- While you might be tempted to peek while the popovers bake, don’t! Opening the oven door might lead to the popovers deflating.
- You must gently puncture each popover in the center with a pairing knife to allow the steam inside of them to escape. If you do not cut into them, they lose their crispiness
