Remember how I said I usually buy too much from the farmers markets on Saturdays? Yeah, I did it again. It all just looks too tasty, am I right?!
I arrived home this week with an overstuffed canvas bag…or two. This week’s bounty included lots of different greens, blueberries, raspberries, figs, garlic scapes, hummus, peas, lavender, fava beans, and ginger beer. After happy dancing all over my kitchen, I began creating menus for myself and my friends. When there are so many greens to choose from, I like to make the almighty market salad. I can throw just about everything in there, and it’s delicious everytime. The secret? Seasoned greens and sherry vinaigrette.
I think it’s the Italian matriarch hiding deep in my soul who feels the need to accompany any meal with some sort of starch. I don’t mind just a salad for myself any night, but I always feel the need to provide a bread of sorts to sit alongside a salad when I have company. There was a decent sized chunk of Red Leicester sitting pretty in the fridge, so I had no choice but to make cheesy popovers.
I love popovers for their texture and easy preparation. Light, airy, hollowed rolls rise straight up out of their individual tins in the oven and maintain their shape after cooling. Its simple batter lends itself to both sweet and savory options, and the additions are infinite. Don’t bother buying dedicated popover tins, especially if this is your first try. Muffin tins are perfectly fine.
This is a great recipe to keep in your back pocket as they come together quickly and sit well next to any sort of combination of foods. I love bringing these along to barebecues and potlucks.
Red Leicester Popovers
Makes 8-10
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- Olive oil
- 3/4 cups grated Red Leicester cheese
Preheat a 12-cup muffin pan in the oven at 350 degrees. Heat milk over medium heat until it reaches about 120 degrees.
Stir flour, salt, and thyme together in a medium bowl. Once milk is heated, whisk milk into the eggs in a small bowl. Stir milk mixture into the flour slowly, leaving small lumps at the end.
Working quickly, remove hot muffin pan and swipe each cup with a paper towel doused with olive oil. Add about 1/4 cup of batter to muffin cups and top each with a generous sprinkling of grated cheese. Bake until deep, golden brown, about 45 minutes. Remove from muffin tins while still warm.