I had never heard of popovers until my BFF Bonnie received a popover tin for Christmas a year or so ago from her mom.
"What is a popover tin and why do you need it?" I asked.
"To make popovers," Bonnie replied.
"Oh. What is a popover?"
Anyway, this conversation probably never happened, but the following facts are, indeed, true.
1. Bonnie received a weird tin for Christmas.
2. I had no idea what the tin was used for.
3. I had never heard of popovers.
Bonnie and I ended up making the popovers, so I eventually learned what they were and observed the queer
popover tin. The popover itself is a baked egg bread that puffs up when you cook it and "pops over" the side of the tin. The tin itself consists of six deep cups that force the dough to grow up and up until it "popped" over. We baked the popovers, and it was fun, but I dismissed the concept of this strange food because I didn't have a popover tin, I didn't want a popover tin, and I wasn't really that impressed by the "popover" itself.
Then, I came across a recipe for popovers in a vegetarian cookbook I've been trying to get myself to use (
The Vegetarian Family Cookbook). The author told me that I did not need this one-trick-pony popover pan, but that I could instead rely on my old friend, the muffin tin. I tried her recipe, and though delicious, I was saddened to see that instead of "popping," the popovers "plopped."
But, surprise, surprise,
America's Test Kitchen came through for me again. I like their approach to recipes because they use a sort of scientific trial-and-error to perfect their recipes. Awesome.
I baked up a batch this morning, and I think I can consider myself a convert! If you like toast and jam, consider this a classier, more adult version of your old favorite.