Vanilla Eggnog Popovers

As I’ve noted, popovers can be a fickle lot.  Sometimes they don’t pop.  Sometimes they explode.  And sometimes, they simply refuse to come out of their cups.

But when everything comes together, when the popovers pop and glide effortlessly out of their cups, and the warm dough heats your fingertips, the results can be stunning.  To give these popovers a winter touch, I used soymilk eggnog (though regular eggnog would work as well) with a touch of vanilla-sugar.  The results were fantastic!

Vanilla Eggnog Popovers

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 45 minutes
YIELD: 6 popovers

WHAT TO GRAB:
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup soy eggnog, at room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla-sugar (recipe here)
2 tablespoons melted butter
Zest of one lemon

HOW YOU DO IT:

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly butter a popover tin or muffin tin.

2.  In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs.  Whisk in 1/3 of the eggnog.  Whisk in the flour, salt, and sugar.  Finally, whisk in the remaining eggnog, butter, and lemon zest.  Whisk only until free of lumps.  If you have the time, let the batter sit for an hour.  This helps the batter absorb the liquids, and prevents the popovers from being too doughy.

3.  Pour the batter into the buttered tins, just over half-full.

4.  Bake for 35 minutes.  After 35 minutes, prick each popover, four times, with a toothpick, to allow the steam to escape.  (This helps prevent the exploding).  Bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the popovers are golden brown.

5.  Serve immediately, with butter or jam!