Saturday, September 16, 2017

Popovers

In Mom’s drawer, I found several recipes she had either marked, printed or scribbled out, for popovers. I found even more versions in her email. It appears she was on a quest for the perfect popover. I don’t remember her ever baking these and I wondered why she was on such an extensive search for the recipe. I asked her sister, Gail, and my mom first learned to make popovers in her Home Economic class at Cammack Junior High (back in the day, Home Ec class was serious business). Apparently, on her first lesson, they came out great and she made them for her mom and sister at home. They were a hit! 

Popovers are similar to a Yorkshire pudding, a light hollow roll made from an egg batter. The secret of a popover is the crispy outside and the tender, airy, hollow center created by the pocket of steam formed inside while baking. The steam makes the batter “pop over” the signature shape. Sound simple enough, right? So, I wondered why she had so many different versions of recipes and little notes on how to make the perfect popover. How many different ways could you make a popover? Turns out, more than I could ever know. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of popover recipes and tips out there, and whole pages dedicated the perfection of them and to how to avoid the pitfalls and perils of the pauperized popover. Now, I was intrigued. I went on a search of my own to find the perfect popover recipe.  

After going through a ton of different recipes, including mom’s, other recipe books and online, I settled on this combination of ingredients.

The Recipe
Makes 12 popovers

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk – room temperature
3 eggs – room temperature
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt 


The ingredients are fairly simple, but the real trick to form the magic spell of the popover comes in the baking process. Therefore, we move onto:


The Bake

As many versions of the actual recipe for popovers, there are just as many hints and tips to follow to ensure a good popover, the top contenders being:

Popover Pan
Using a genuine popover pan gives you a huge advantage. Although you can use a muffin pan or even custard cups or ramekins, the pan was designed for popovers and will give you the best chance for a tall and fluffy rise. 


Shiny, New Popover Pan from USA Pan! 

Preheat the Pan, or Not
This is a bit of a controversy in the popover world. Some swear you have to heat the pan, others say it doesn't matter. If you chose to heat the pan, preheat about 2 minutes at the highest temperature you will start at (we will get to that). Make sure it is well-greased, but careful not to heat your pan too long or you will burn your butter or oil.

Ingredients warming up in the wings
All Ingredients at Room Temperature
This is pretty crucial chemistry-wise. Make sure your eggs and milk are at room temperature, and your melted butter isn’t hot. 

Mixing the Batter
It’s important to make sure your batter is light and airy.  If you are mixing by hand, a wire whisk does the best for incorporating the ingredients together and making sure you get the batter nice and bubbly and airy. I read that some people use a blender for a quick 30 seconds to a minute or a fast spin with the electric mixer, but you have to be careful not to over mix or they will not rise properly.

Do Not Peek!
Popovers Popping Over!
If anything, this is most important rule for successful popovers. DO NOT PEEK! Opening the oven door to check to see if your popovers are popping over may cause them to poop out. The sudden change in temperature interrupts the steam and rising process. Resist the urge. Grab the timer, set it and walk away. You can flip on the light and squint (as I did several times) but don’t open that door!

Start High and End Low, or Stay the Course
Not every popover lover agreed, but I found that many recipes call for reducing the temperature part way through during the bake. This helps avoid the tops to over brown and helps the popover to settle in. Others say one temp straight through to the end.

As you can see, for every rule, there’s another to break it. These are the rules and baking process I followed for the:


First Batch

Popover Pan
Preheat pan (I went for 2 minutes)
Wire whisk by hand
No peeking
Baked at same temperature throughout 

Preheated well-greased pan in 425 degree oven for two minutes. Whisked all ingredients together until bubbly and light. Poured batter in cups. Bake at 425 degrees for exactly 30 minutes. No peeking! 

These are the rules and baking process I followed for the:


Second Batch

Popover Pan
Preheat pan (I went for 2 minutes)
Wire whisk by hand
No peeking

Preheated well-greased pan at 450 degrees for 2 minutes. Whisked all ingredients together until bubbly and light. Poured batter into cups only 1/2 full. Placed a cookie sheet on the top rack of the oven to protect the tops of the popovers from over browning. Baked at 450 for 20 minutes then reduced temperature to 350 for 10 minutes. No peeking! 




The Results

First batch:

I have one popover pan. After filled the cups and put it the oven, I realized, quite some time later, that I had poured the entire bowl of batter into the 6 cups. The recipe is for 12 popovers. Oops. 

This resulted in JUMBO POPOVERS!



At least you can't say that my batter didn't popover. They popped, and then some! However, they looked amazing though, and you could certainly make the jumbo version. 

The issue I ran into was that the outside of the popovers were crispy and golden, but the insides were just underdone enough that they felt almost raw to me. There are folks who like this texture, but I found it too sushi-like for me. The inside not baking could have been the baking process, as I did the same lower temperature throughout, which some say is the way to go, others, it's a no go.

Because of the inside issue and the mammoth size, I decided to try my hand at a second batch. 

For this method, they came out quite nice, and human-sized. The insides were perfectly baked, with the smooth, eggy airy center. So good.


However, I admit, the outsides were a little darker than I (or I’m sure Paul Hollywood would) prefer. This could be due to the fact that my 90s apartment wall oven is smaller than the average oven and can overheat without warning. Next time I will play with the times a little more. Maybe 450 for 15 and 350 for 15. Maybe I could get away with 350 for 30 minutes if they were a regular size. 

Just a little too far on the crispy side.

What should you do? What I learned from studying and making popovers is the reason a perfect recipe has been sought for over a hundred years. There is no perfect recipe. Most everyone will have to adjust for all the little idiosyncrasies that come with baking – your pan, your oven, if the moon is in the seventh house… Baking is chemistry, and with all experiments, you never know what is going to cause change, so get out there and do some science!

I now totally understand why my mom was seeking the perfect popover. These are DELICIOUS!



Crispy outside, tender inside and feel very elegant and indulgent. If you get everything right, they come out light, fluffy and delicious. They are a different and impressive dish to bring to the table. Watching them popover is fun too. They really do popover and grow in front of your eyes! 

This recipe is for plain popovers, but you could make them sweet or savory. You could add cinnamon and sugar, or herbs and garlic, or cheese (Just note, you may have to play with the consistency a bit. If the batter is too heavy, it won’t pop). You can eat them plain, with butter or jam for breakfast or afternoon tea. They would make great dinner rolls for a dinner with a gravy. You can stuff them with a variety of fillings, from chicken salad to falafel. I had two for breakfast stuffed with scrambled eggs and mushrooms. Um, WOW. 


Thanks mom for the suggestion. I’m definitely making these again!

Wednesday, September 6, 2017

New York Cheesecake

Mom celebrating Ginger's 1st Bday.
Today is my mom’s birthday. She would have been 72 years old. They say when you lose a loved one, the “firsts” are the always the hardest, and that’s very true today. Not being able to call her and wish her Happy Birthday (followed by the annual guilt and explanation of why her card will be late/not sent/I bought it, addressed and stamped it and now can’t find it) is so very hard. 

My mother never liked to celebrate her birthday. She didn’t want people to go out of their way or make a fuss, or reminded of her age. However, she looked forward to celebrating other people’s birthdays. She was the one in the family that always remembered everyone’s birthday, sent cards and gifts and wished them happiness. 





Mom with her dachshund scarf
Her dachshund boy, Buster
My mom was also one of those people that was difficult to buy for. She’d treasure anything you gave her, but she never really wanted anything, and, if she did, she wouldn’t tell you. Again, never wanted anyone to make a fuss. Every year I would wrack my brain to try and find something different and special, something she would want but would never buy herself. My mother loved animals, especially dogs and hummingbirds, so I usually could find something in that category. However, I couldn't rely on too many cute knickknacks, as clutter would stress her out, and there are only so many hummingbird charms or dachshund scarves you can buy one person. 

One year I couldn’t think of anything to get her, and when I asked, she, as usual, said she wanted nothing. I wanted to treat her to something special, as she deserved it. If I sent gift certificates, she would use them on someone else. If I baked something and sent it to her, there is no guarantee what condition it would arrive in (if at all). So, I asked my good friend Naomi Allen, who is an AMAZING baker (among other amazing things) if she could do me a huge favor and bake my mom cheesecake and drop it off to her. This is something Naomi is known to do. She’s like a little baking fairy, leaving sweet treats on doorsteps of unsuspecting sugar recipients.  That morning I called my mom and told her to check the front porch and, sure enough, the magical baking fairy had left a gift. One gorgeous cheesecake. She LOVED it. Seriously, loved it. “Best gift I could get,” she said. After that, cheesecakes (and other sweet treats) were a standard gift for birthdays, Mother’s Day, Christmas or just a day. In the most beautiful gesture, Naomi brought one to her memorial service for me, which was the perfect tribute to her. 

 So, today, for her birthday, I’m baking her a cheesecake.

In her drawer and her email, she had several cheesecake recipes saved, including low-fat, low-sugar versions (which I question their validity and motive to exist). I recently found the recipe for the original Junior’s Cheesecake in New York online. For Mother’s Day one year I sent her a Best of sampler from Junior’s. Three pounds of decadent cheesecake goodness. She loved every bite. I believe I will eventually try them all, but today, for her, I will bake the first cheesecake I gave her, via my friend.


The Recipe


Sunshine Graham Cracker New York Cheesecake 


1 7/8 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 cup sugar, divided
2 pounds cream cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sour cream


Preheat oven to 450 F. In a bowl, place Sunshine Graham Cracker Crumbs, butter and 2 tablespoons sugar; blend well. Reserve 2 tablespoons for garnish. Press remaining mixture onto bottom and sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Chill in freezer while preparing filling. In mixer bowl, beat cream cheese and remaining sugar until smooth and light. Beat in eggs, vanilla and cornstarch, just until blended. Stir in sour cream. Pour mixture into prepared crust and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 200 F and bake 45 minutes. Turn off oven; allow to cool with the door opened slightly, for 3 hours. Remove sides from pan; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture and chill. Makes 12 servings. 



First off, a big thank you to Naomi for sending me her clipped recipe, via text. This recipe has stood the test of time and corporate acquisition. Sunshine Biscuits started at the turn of the century in 1902 and became household name with their signature products, such as Cheez-It crackers and Hydrox cookies. The company was bought by The American Tobacco Company in 1966, then by G.F. Industries, then finally acquired by the Keebler company in 1996 (and as the econ train rolls, Keebler was acquired by Kellogg Company in 2001 – do you really know who owns your cookie????). At the time, Sunshine Biscuits was the third largest cookie baker in the United States. Needless to say, Sunshine Graham Crackers were quite popular, as was this recipe for cheesecake. In fact, if you Google it, there are many sites that feature this tried and true recipe by name, even though the brand no longer exists. This is also the cheesecake recipe that Naomi would make for my mother. So, I have high hopes for this bake. 


The Bake

Whirling Wafers!
Since Sunshine Graham crackers no longer exist, I used Whole Foods 365 Organic Honey Graham Crackers. Since I still don't have a food processor (I never think I want or need one, until I do, then I want one, but come up with some makeshift solution for the task at hand, then go back to thinking I don't REALLY need one), I used my VitaMix. It ground them pretty fine, maybe a little too fine, as they came out also like a flour, but hopefully it will hold well and make a smooth-looking crust. I did not reserve the 2 tablespoons for garnish, as I wanted to top it with fruit instead. 

Needs a little touch-up, but sticking!
I had a devil of a time with the graham cracker crust. I couldn't get the graham cracker mix to stick to the sides of the springform pan. Using my fingers was not working well. It wouldn't stay on the sides and I couldn't get it even. I switched to a metal spoon, and that worked much better. My springform pan is brand new, so it's super-slicky, so that probably didn't help much. Then, after building the Wall of Graham, I realized I forgot to put in the 2 Tablespoons of sugar, so there might some of the stick factor as well. Will it hold up on its own? Will the walls come down? Will it be enough when Winter comes? We will see. I don't feel it will affect the taste too much, as graham crackers are tasty on their own.

Ready to go!



I'm glad I used my stand mixer for this, as beating cream cheese, a two whole pounds of it, isn't for the meek. I may have not gotten all the lumps out, but I was also apprehensive of over mixing. I stirred in the sour cream with a spoon, just because I felt it was the thing to do.






My oven door doesn't have a "slightly open" option.
The baking instructions are a little unusual for this recipe, with the reduction of heat and leaving the cake in the oven with door slightly open after baking for three hours. I was diligent and followed them to the letter, including resisting the urge to poke at it while it was resting. It also calls for the cheesecake to be chilled after taking out of the oven, but did not specify a time. I chilled it for about an half an hour, but I would suggest longer to get a good set on it. 






Shaka, when the walls fell. 
I had a bit of a structural failure. Apparently my pan is much higher than the cake itself, therefore so were my sides, which came crumbing down when I removed the pan. The crust also crumbled at the actual cake, however, held strong enough to retain and hold the cake, just mostly aesthetic issues. A few practice runs, along with remembering the sugar, I should get the hang of it.








The Results




DELICIOUS! It seems so simple. How could I follow this easy recipe and end up making something that an entire "Factory" chain was created to do? This recipe makes a dense and yet creamy, flavorful cheesecake. I’m convinced that the baking method - bake, reduce heat, rest in oven - is a good portion of the magic to this recipe. I also think it's simplicity is a key too. Even plain, it’s quite good. You could easily add lemon, orange or any citrus to this and it should blend well with the tang of the sour
cream, but not be too sour. You could also add chocolate, fruit swirls or top it with just anything you like. Naomi says the secret ingredient to her cakes is topping them with Malley's hot fudge sauce, from Cleveland. That sounds good to me as hot fudge + cheesecake = happiness.


I was quite surprised. Even my husband, who is adamant about his dislike of cheesecake (he insists cheese should not be sweet) said, “It’s not that bad.” Now, that is a winner recipe!

I hope I did mom proud. I believe she really would have enjoyed this cake. I know I did. 





Happy Birthday Mom. I love you and I miss you. I hope you are enjoying cake in whatever form that may be among the stars. 💖