Dinner Parties/Parmiggiano Popovers

Parmiggiano popovers, braised short ribs, homemade tagliatelle, sauteed broccolini, balsamic glazed cippolini onions and finally, chocolate-croissant bread pudding. If you’re mouth isn’t watering yet, you should know that this is a very real menu and one which I made this past Friday for a group of 10 friends. If I may humbly stroke my own ego, dinner was awesome. I could not have been happier and I am pretty sure that my guests left as well fed and satisfied as I could have hoped. The only problem with this dinner is that I have no pictures to show for it. Well no pictures except for the ones of these popovers, which I have deemed the best part of the meal (only because I get to showcase them here). Do not despair; I will be remaking a lot of the dishes so that I can post recipes and pictures, so consider the ‘menu’ a tease of what’s to come on TBD. In the meantime, let’s get back to the popovers.

These popovers do really deserve a whole post’s worth of attention, actually I would say that they might even deserve two posts worth of attention, but I don’t want to be boring. I planned, unplanned and replanned Friday’s dinner about 25 million times before I finally settled on a menu and these popovers were a very last minute decision. Not usually an impulsive person, I sure am glad that I decided to make these fluffy little guys on a whim, because they are officially my obsession of the week. And I am not just saying that because I actually have pictures of them. To me, popovers have always been that special treat that restaurants serve in their breadbaskets instead of boring old bread, but I knew that a homemade version could only be better, fresher and more satisfying. I was right.

I have always had plain popovers, but I couldn’t resist adding some cheese to these and I have absolutely no regrets about that (shocker!). These bulbous, muffin-looking things ‘pop’ because of all the steam created on the inside, hence the name. Although they are hollow from all this steam action, I assure you that you’re still getting the best part of the deal. The exterior is slightly chewy with a notable egginess that makes it taste almost like a souffle, only breadier. The sprinkle of parmiggiano on top melts just enough to impart its rich and nutty flavor, but also adds a little bit of crunch. Clearly the taste and texture on these is fantastic, but the second best part is that these are so easy to make that I can’t really imagine every having a dinner party without them from here on out. Even if you’re not a baker, make these, don’t let them scare you, they pop on their own and once they come out of the oven the only thing you should be scared of is how many of these you’re going to want to eat.

Parmiggiano Popovers
(adapted from Martha Stewart who got it from Laurent Tourondel of BLT)
yield 28 popovers, in a standard muffin tin

Notes:
•This recipe claims to make 12 popovers but I can’t imagine what size popover tins they used. I used standard muffin tins, which work just as well, and I had about 28 popovers. For this reason, if you’re using a standard muffin tin I highly suggest halving the recipe, as these really aren’t as good the next day.
•I prepared the batter a few hours ahead of time to minimize the amount of cooking I was doing with my guests there. Keep in mind that these have to bake for 50 minutes, so take that into account when you’re timing your dinner service.

Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons coarse salt
4 cups milk
8 large eggs
Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese (gruyere can also work)

Directions:
1) Place a popover pan with 12 cups in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.
2) Sift together flour and salt onto a piece of parchment paper; set aside.
3) In a small saucepan, heat milk over medium heat until small bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Whisk eggs in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Slowly add heated milk to eggs, whisking constantly. Gradually whisk in flour mixture.
4) Remove heated popover pan from oven; spray each cup with nonstick cooking spray and place on a baking sheet. Fill each cup with batter so it is level to the top; top with cheese.
5) Bake 15 minutes. Rotate pan 180 degrees; continue baking until golden brown, about 35 minutes more.
6) Invert pan and remove popovers. Serve immediately. Popovers may also be made 2 hours in advance. Cool on a wire rack and reheat in an oven heated to 450 degrees just before serving.

Weaknesses/Cheesy Beer Bread

So after doing a little bit of math/seeing on Blogger that this is my 60th post, I feel like it’s time for me to confess something. You see, as it turns out I am not perfect. Now, I am not going to get into the personal nitty gritty of my flaws and weaknesses. I do want to tell you, however, that you should never leave me alone with a plate of sweet potato fries or a wheel of cheese (should you choose to break this rule, any good cheese will do). The latter are definitely some of my favorites, but my absolute greatest weakness is savory baked goods. Don’t get me wrong I always love cookies, cakes and the likes, but that love pales in comparison the way I feel about these savory treats.

Quiches, focaccia (or good bread of any kind for that matter), cheese croissants, you name it and chances are it makes me weak in the knees. You may be asking yourself why I haven’t posted many such recipes here at TBD and the answer is simple, I lack the self-control. I hate to admit it, but I am scared to have these around my house because in their presence I am no longer myself. It’s like love, put me next to one of these treats and everything I ever thought I knew about myself goes straight out the window. Elegant, petite bites become chomps; finger sucking takes the place of napkins; and a ‘portion’ means the whole thing, no matter how big it is. So, as much as these are my favorites I only allow myself to make them on rare occasions. I think a 60th post is an occasion to be celebrated and in that spirit I made cheesy beer bread.

Trying to describe a savory quickbread to someone who doesn’t cook is a challenge, but based on my experiences it sounds a little bit like this; “Imagine a banana bread, but then take out the banana, the sugar and everything else, then replace that with lots of cheese and herbs. Oh yeah, and it’s salty.” Although that is by no means an eloquent description, it’s pretty bang-on. This bread is leavened with beer, which also gives it that delicious yeasty undertone that quickbreads often lack. Cheese mazes throughout the bread and also gives it a crispy top. And finally, the rosemary and thyme give it a sophisticated herby flavor that you just wouldn’t expect from something called ‘beer bread.’ Now that the pictures are done, the bread is in the kitchen staring at me, calling me name. Only time will tell what happens next, but I have a feeling it’s going to taste very good.

Cheesy Beer Bread

Ingredients:

2 1/4 c. AP flour

1 tsp. baking soda

3/4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. + 2 tbsp. shredded cheese

1 tbsp. dried thyme

1 tbsp. drief rosemary

1, 12 oz. bottle of beer (any kind will do, but the more flavorful it is the better)

1/4 c. olive oil

2 tbsp. water (if needed)

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a standard sized loaf pan.

2) Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix in the 3/4 c. cheese and herbs.

3) Add the beer and mix until just combined. Mix in the olive oil, at this point there should be no more dry flour left in the bowl, if there is add the water and mix gently.

4) Pour the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

5) Bake for 50-55 minutes until a tester comes out clean. Let it cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.