Day 1- Popovers

So I guess today I'm kind of cheating. I'm going to count a recipe that I made today in my Baking Basics class. I really wanted to start the blog today, but didn't get home until 10:30 after classes and babysitting, so I figured I'd consider these popovers my recipe for the day. The recipe is from Wayne Gisslen's Professional Cooking, page 964. It should be noted that this is a professional cookbook with recipes for commercial kitchens. The recipes are scaled accordingly.

Ingredients

1 lb eggs

2 lb milk

11/4 tsp salt

2 oz melted butter

1 lb bread flour

(Nutrition info per popover: calories, 70; Protein 3 grams; Fat, 3 grams, Cholesterol, 60 mg; Carbohydrates, 8 grams; Sodium, 95 mg)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

An important tip not mentioned in the book: before you start making your batter, put your muffin tins or popover tins in the oven in order to get them hot. This will help make popovers that will maintain their shape better, and aids in the cooking process.

1. Beat eggs, milk and salt with whip attachment until well blended. Add melted fat.

2. Replace whip with paddle. Mix in flour until completely smooth.

3. Grease the popover or muffin tins. If using muffin tins, only use every other one, as the popovers need plenty of room to expand. Fill each cup about two-thirds full.

4. Bake popovers for 10 minutes at 450, then reduce to 375 and bake for an additional 20-30 minutes. How long you cook them depends on your own personal preference. The longer the cook, the more stable they will be, but you begin to lose the doughy centers as baking time goes on.

5. Do not remove the popovers until you're sure they won't collapse.

Also not mentioned in the book, make sure to pierce the side of the popovers immediately after removing them from the oven. This will allow steam to release, and keep you from ending up with a soggy end product. After piercing them, remove them immediately from the pan and allow them to cool.

I had never even hear of a popover before today. They remind me of a cream puff, really. Well, the pastry shell anyway. They came out pretty well, with a soft almost creamy inside. Delicious.

Also, I wanted to post the picture that I took with Top Chef's Fabio Viviani. My sister and I took a cooking class with him this Sunday at his restaurant Cafe Firenze in Moorpark, CA. He was so wonderful, I had a great time. We learned to make fresh pasta and gnocchi.... perhaps those recipes will pop up here soon.

Well I suppose that's all for now, folks. I hope you all have a lovely evening :]