Cheesy Herbed Popovers Recipe | Cook the Book

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Caroline Russock

Long before I felt comfortable baking bread at home, popovers were a part of my "fancy dinner for friends" repertoire. They were quick and easy, but also held the same magical appeal as a homemade, freshly baked yeasted loaf—at least for my college-aged buddies. I loved baking them not only for the oohs and ahhs, but also because I enjoyed watching the dramatic rise over the rim of the muffin tin that they baked in. Nowadays, I am far from intimidated when it comes to baking a loaf of bread, yeast and all, and my baking projects are a little more complicated. But I still occasionally bake up a batch of popovers to accompany dinner.

These Cheesy Herbed Popovers from Farm to Fork by Emeril Lagasse are possibly even simpler to put together than other recipes that I've made in the past, since all of the batter ingredients are simply whizzed together in the blender. The popovers are a wonderful way to use any leftover chunks of cheese and miscellaneous herbs that you have on hand. I decided to use a combination of chives and parsley and a piece of Sardinian sheep's milk cheese in place of the cheddar and Parmigiano.

The cheese and herbs bake into the custardy batter, making for gorgeous popovers that are studded with bits of green and burnished on top with little shreds of cheese. They are best served straight out of the oven since, like all popovers, their volume comes from the pockets of air within and they end up losing a bit of their height when they have a chance to sit around. But even at room temperature and a bit deflated, they are still much tastier than any dinner rolls that you can pick up at your local supermarket.

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Recipe Details

Cheesy Herbed Popovers Recipe | Cook the Book

Prep 15 mins
Cook 25 mins
Total 40 mins
Serves 6 to 8 servings
Makes 12 popovers

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted

  • 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

  • 4 large eggs

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk

  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, rosemary, basil, or chives

  • About 2 ounces medium cheddar cheese, grated (1/2 cup) or cut into 12 pieces

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

  2. Brush the cups of a standard 12-cup muffin tin with some of the melted butter. Divide the Parmesan evenly among the cups.

  3. Combine the eggs, salt, pepper, milk, cream, and the remaining butter in a blender and blend until well combined. Add the flour and blend for 15 seconds, until smooth. Transfer the batter to a large mixing bowl. Stir in the fresh herbs.

  4. Fill each muffin cup halfway with batter. Divide the cheddar among the cups, and then top with the remaining batter.

  5. Bake the popovers for 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for 10 minutes.

  6. Remove the muffin tin from the oven and unmold the popovers onto a wire rack. Pierce the side of each popover with a small sharp knife to allow steam to escape. (This will help keep them from deflating.) Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
243 Calories
16g Fat
16g Carbs
10g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 243
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16g 20%
Saturated Fat 9g 44%
Cholesterol 131mg 44%
Sodium 515mg 22%
Total Carbohydrate 16g 6%
Dietary Fiber 0g 2%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 10g
Vitamin C 0mg 1%
Calcium 175mg 13%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 140mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)