A popover is a light

roll Roll or Rolls may refer to: Movement about the longitudinal axis * Roll angle (or roll rotation), one of the 3 angular degrees of freedom of any stiff body (for example a vehicle), describing motion about the longitudinal axis ** Roll (aviation) ...

made from an

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...

batter similar to that of

Yorkshire pudding Yorkshire pudding is a baked pudding made from a batter of eggs, flour, and milk or water. A common British side dish, it is a versatile food that can be served in numerous ways depending on its ingredients, size, and the accompanying compon ...

, typically baked in

muffin tin A muffin or cupcake tray is a mold in which muffins or cupcakes are baked. A single cup within a regular muffin tin is and most often has room for 12 muffins, although tins holding 6, 8, 11, 24, and 35 muffins do exist. A single cup within a m ...

s or dedicated popover pans, which have straight-walled sides rather than angled. Popovers may be served either as a sweet, topped with fruit and

whipped cream Whipped cream is liquid heavy cream that is whipped by a whisk or mixer until it is light and fluffy and holds its shape, or by the expansion of dissolved gas, forming a firm colloid. It is often sweetened, typically with white sugar, an ...

; or, butter and jam for breakfast; or, with afternoon

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

; or, with meats at

lunch Lunch is a meal eaten around the middle of the day. It is commonly the second meal of the day, after breakfast, and varies in size by culture and region. Etymology According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED''), the etymology ...

and

dinner Dinner usually refers to what is in many Western cultures the largest and most formal meal of the day, which is eaten in the evening. Historically, the largest meal used to be eaten around midday, and called dinner. Especially among the elite ...

Name

The name "popover" comes from the fact that the batter swells or "pops" over the top of the tin while baking. Popovers are also known as Laplanders.

History

The popover is an American version of

and similar batter puddings made in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

since the 17th century, The oldest known reference to popovers dates to 1850. The first cookbook to print a recipe for popovers was in 1876. A variant of popovers with garlic and herbs is called Portland (Oregon) popover pudding.Evan Jones, ''American Food: The Gastronomic Story'', 1975, p. 102 Other American popover variations include replacing some of the flour with pumpkin puree and adding spices such as allspice or

nutmeg Nutmeg is the seed or ground spice of several species of the genus ''Myristica''. ''Myristica fragrans'' (fragrant nutmeg or true nutmeg) is a dark-leaved evergreen tree cultivated for two spices derived from its fruit: nutmeg, from its seed, an ...

. Most American popovers today, however, are not flavored with meat or herbs. Instead, they have a buttery taste.

Ogden Nash Frederic Ogden Nash (August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971) was an American poet well known for his light verse, of which he wrote over 500 pieces. With his unconventional rhyming schemes, he was declared by ''The New York Times'' the country's bes ...

inverts the historical order of events.

Let's call Yorkshire pudding A fortunate blunder: It's a sort of popover That turned and popped under.

Preparation

Popovers require flour, eggs (which provide the buoyancy), milk, a dash of salt, and, if additional browning is desired, sugar. The dry ingredients are mixed, and then the wet are added. Beat until batter is smooth. Generously grease a muffin or cupcake tin to prevent sticking and fill each cup, but never fill to the top. The batter will expand while baking. Bake at medium high heat, and avoid slamming doors or sudden loud noises as the popovers bake, as this may impede rising. Once browned, remove from oven carefully, as the popovers will be hot and each will have a bulb filled with hot air.

References

{{US-cuisine-stub American breads Breakfast dishes Quick breads