I found this recipe several months ago and wanted to wait to try it when strawberries were actually in season in Massachusetts. Lately though it appears that everyone has been on a strawberry posting binge. Everywhere I look it’s strawberry this and strawberry that and I just couldn’t stand to wait anymore so I bought some berries from Whole Foods and whipped up the batter for a batch of Strawberry Popovers.
My grandmother bought both my mother and I popover pans for Christmas last year so I was eager to see what sort of results I would have with the recipe. Unfortunately the first run through was a disaster. I’m absolutely convinced that the recipe is written incorrectly. The instructions originally called for the popovers to be baked in a 450ºoven for 15 minutes, followed by a reduction of the oven temp to 350º and then another 15 minutes in the oven. But when I peeked at the popovers after the first 15 minutes they were burned. Annoyed and irritated, I pulled the pan from the oven. Then I chose the least overcooked popover and took a bite. It was just awful and very bland, but I really wanted this recipe to work. Sometimes failure is not an option. So I mixed up another batch of the batter adding sugar and cinnamon to the bowl. Then I lowered the oven temp to 400º and only cooked the new batch for 15 minutes.
This time they came out perfectly golden with just the right touch of sweetness. The dish is much more muffin like in texture than a traditional popover, but I think they’re a great dessert option or breakfast treat. The Pick-Your-Own Strawberry season just opened today at Shelburne Farm in Stowe, Massachusetts so I’m eagerly awaiting the opportunity to bring home a ton of fresh berries to bake into various concoctions. I’d love to use these popovers as the base for a Strawberry Shortcake instead of a biscuit. I think they would be just to-die-for split open and topped with fresh whipped cream and a sprinkling of sliced native fruit.
Strawberry Popovers
Inspired by the Stonyfield Farms Strawberry Popovers recipe that I would not recommend using unless of course you’re into bland burned to a crisp baked goods.
Yields: 6 Popovers
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar (Erin’s Note: If you want these really sweet you could add as much as a 1/4 cup of sugar. 2 tablespoons gives them a nice lightly sweetened flavor though).
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup Lowfat Strawberry Yogurt
1/4 cup diced strawberries
Preheat the oven to 400º F and grease a 6-cup popover pan.
In a medium bowl beat eggs slightly, sift in flour and baking powder, and stir until combined. Add yogurt, strawberries, sugar, salt, and cinnamon and stir until smooth; being careful not to over stir. Fill popover cups equally to the top with popover mixture.
Bake at 400° F for 15 minutes. Immediately remove from cups and serve piping hot.
