My husband has many enviable qualities, but the one I am most often confronted with is his ability to wake slowly and enjoy a zenlike start to the day. Each morning he wakes up early and allows himself plenty of time to sip his coffee, enjoy his bacon and eggs and take a big breath before speeding up to full throttle.
I, too, aspire to a peaceful, centered morning experience that begins with enjoying wholesome food and taking stock before my day begins. Each night I set my alarm in the hopes (or delusions) that the next morning will finally be the day that I wake up on time and enjoy the early sunlight in my dining room. But, without fail, every morning I hit the snooze for 30-50 minutes, rush around the house cursing at myself for oversleeping, AGAIN, sweating while trying to dry my hair so it doesn’t freeze, all the while forgetting most things I need for the day and praying that my cell phone and keys are somewhere in my gigantic purse.
So, breakfast is a nuisance. I know that breakfast is important: ‘keep my glucose levels stable, have energy for the day’ blah blah blah….but I usually can’t get excited about it when I am trying to cram in a bowl of oatmeal at the 30-second stoplight on my morning commute. By the time I make it to work 15-or so minutes late, my adrenaline is pumping and I am feeling ill and regretting the extra shot of espresso I chugged before bolting out the door.
Sundays, on the other hand, are bliss. No matter how much I sleep in or how late I stayed up the night before, I can savor my morning all the way till three o’clock and feel like I am in college again. This morning, as mid-day beckoned, I decided popovers would be the perfect start to my late-starting day.
Fresh popovers, for anyone who hasn’t had them, are lovely. They taste like a buttery, custardy, warm-air-filled muffin hug. With only five ingredients, they are so simple to whip together. You can make them in an official popover pan, or ramekins work, too. Below I have a recipe I used from Gourmet (sigh … RIP)…. I have changed the baking times slightly and the only variation you might do is add a small dash of baking soda to the flour mixture, but I don’t this recipe needs anything else. Enjoy!
Popovers- Gourmet ‘91
Ingredients
I cup sifted all-purpose flour (the sifting is important!)
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 Tablespoon melted unsalted butter for brushing your pan/ramekins.
Preheat the oven to 450. In a large bowl, sift together the flour and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture, stirring, and still the batter until smooth. In the preheated oven, heat the popover pan or 6 ramekins in the oven until warm (5 minutes). Once hot, brush each popover cup/ramekin with melted butter, and fill each cup halfway with batter. Bake the popovers in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes, than reduce the heat to 375 for an additional 10-20 minutes, or until they are golden brown and crisp.
Here is the link to the original recipe. If you bake ‘em, let us know what you think!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Popovers-11058
Happy Sundays
