Make holiday weekend pop with popovers

In mere hours Christmas 2020 will be a magical memory, but the celebration continues. This weekend let’s indulge in a treat that makes any day a special occasion. Popovers.

But not just ordinary popovers, (although those are awesome) let’s make fluffy, buttery Parmesan and sage popovers. Popovers are hollow inside, so they’re the perfect vehicle for garlicky sage butter. Let’s make that, too.

When developing recipes, I try not to require any special equipment. So, this recipe can be made using either a standard muffin tin (preferably not nonstick), or a six-well popover pan. With the muffin tin you’ll get 10 smaller popovers; the other will yield, well, six bigger ones.

Popovers are perfect for instant gratification junkies. They use steam to rise or “pop over” the top of the pan so there’s no messing around with yeast or waiting for dough to rise. They take about an hour from start to delectable finish.

To ensure a proper rise, place the empty muffin tin in the oven to get it screaming hot before pouring the batter in. Please don’t skip this step. Also, the eggs and milk must be at room temperature. If you forget to set them out, place eggs in hot tap water for 10 minutes and warm milk in the microwave for 50 seconds.

I promise in January we’ll enjoy some healthy recipes. But we made it to the last week in 2020, so let’s revel in the food. I mean really, what’s better than big ’ol fluffy carbs? Merry Christmas!

SAGE PARMESAN POPOVERS

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time:35 minutes

What you’ll need:

Vegetable oil and/or cooking spray

1½ tablespoons butter

1 clove garlic, smashed

6 fresh sage leaves

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup whole milk, room temperature

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Here’s how:

Start by infusing the butter. Place 1½ tablespoons of butter in a small skillet over low heat. Add the smashed garlic clove and sage leaves into the butter. After about 5 minutes the butter should be browning, the sage crisping and the garlic smelling heavenly. Remove the garlic and sage from the skillet and reserve for making the sage garlic butter (recipe below). Transfer the infused butter into a small bowl to cool.

Move the oven rack to the lowest position. Preheat oven to 425 F. Next, either generously use cooking spray and/or add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil to 10 muffin cups (leave the middle two empty). If using a popover pan, you’d spray or oil those wells, as well. Place muffin tin or popover pan in oven to heat while you make the batter.

Place the eggs and milk into a blender and blend to get all foamy. Add the infused butter and give it a quick pulse; add flour and Parmesan and blend for 30 seconds. No blender? No problem. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and milk together. Whisk in melted butter. Add flour and Parmesan; whisk until smooth.

Carefully remove the now extremely hot tin from the oven and divide the batter evenly into the 10 oiled cups. Cups should be about half full.

Bake popovers at 425 F for 20 minutes, then without opening the oven door, reduce heat to 350 F for 15 more minutes or until they’re puffed, golden browned and crispy. Do not open the oven door during baking as the change in temperature can cause them to deflate and that makes no one happy.

Turn popovers out onto cooling rack and pierce the bottoms with small knife to allow steam to escape. This helps keep them puffy longer. For best results, serve immediately. However, they will keep for up to a week sealed in a zip-top baggie.

To make Garlic Sage Butter: Mash the reserved garlic into a paste with a fork and mince the crispy sage. Stir the garlic and sage together with four tablespoons of softened butter. Slather on everything.

Have extra sage? Preserve it by mincing finely and placing one tablespoon into each well of an ice cube tray. Add just enough water or olive oil to cover. Freeze, then store in freezer a bag.

Lifestyle expert Patti Diamond is a recipe developer and food writer of the website “Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous!” Visit Patti at www.divasonadime.com and join the conversation on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom. Email Patti at divapatti@divasonadime.com.