This post was written by my foodie sister Robin, who is now sharing all of her favorite recipes and kitchen tips regularly on the new “Make It and Love It – in the KITCHEN” portion of this blog. Try a few of her recipes…your belly will thank you! -Ashley
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Okay, if you have to eat gluten free, choose to eat gluten free, or know someone who eats gluten free — you MUST give these Popovers a try. They are so similar to the real thing and are such a fun way to prepare and present food.
When I tweak and fiddle with a gluten free recipe for a baked item and it comes out pretty normal, it makes me (and my belly) so happy! Oooooh, you’re going to LOVE these!
But wait, let’s talk gluten free again. I shared those gluten free Molten Lava Cakes the other day and realized there are more of you who eat gluten free than I thought. Being gluten free has definitely had its setbacks. Oh how I miss the light and airy goodness of white bread, a good cinnamon roll, or just a chewy red vine licorice (mmmm… licorice!) Yeah I am one of those who asks “what is in it?” before taking a bite, skips over the croutons for my salads, wraps my hamburgers in lettuce, etc. I hate being a nuisance but if I don’t ask, it rips up my gut. Oh, Celiac Disease — you’re a tricky one.
With these popovers, they give me a sense of normalcy since they have a taste and texture very similar to the real thing.
When I think of popovers, I think of gastronomic extravagance and something I would see used in a dish for artistic fine dining. But, they are not that complicated and really quite easy to make, so it’s something you can wow your family or guests with for very little effort.
I don’t think popovers get enough use. They are the perfect vehicle to carry a filling without taking center stage on your taste buds. They stand in the background, hardly making any noise.
They are hollow, which gives you the perfect pocket to carry a savory meat or vegetable filling. Or, my favorite — fill with whipped cream, custard, mousse, or whatever sugary goodness you can find. Popovers are pretty versatile in that respect.
Oh, and don’t worry about having a fancy Popover Pan….I share how to make these in a regular ol’ muffin tin too.
Gluten Free can sometimes be a pain — but when the right recipe comes along, meh, no big deal! (Oh, and that filling? It’s just nutella and whipped cream. DEE-licious!)
Let’s get to it!
This is what you need:
Shopping List
First set your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and grease either your muffin tin (yielding 12) or popover pan (yielding 6).
Boil water and butter together.
While you are bringing it to a boil, blend together the potato starch, rice flour, and salt to have ready.
Once you have the water at a boil, you want to add in the flour mixture. The heat softens the rice flour so you lose some of the gritty feel and melds the potato starch together to make it more smooth.
After it is mixed together, it will look like this. Let it sit so that it will cool down before you add the eggs. (You don’t want the eggs to cook prematurely resulting in lumps of cooked egg in your dough.)
When it is cooled down begin adding the eggs one by one. You want each egg mixed thoroughly before adding the next egg. This will give you a nice batter without lumps.
Here it is, as I added egg 3…
After you’ve added the fourth egg, you are ready to portion the batter out in the muffin or popover pan. Now 450 degrees seems to be extremely hot for a bread item. Normally it is, but what is happening is that the high heat is super activating the leavening action of the eggs at a high speed and that forces it to create a large air pocket inside. After 20 minutes of baking at that high heat and without opening the oven door, turn down the oven heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for an additional 20 minutes. This will continue to bake the popovers to set the structure and avoid burning. (psst…really, NO PEAKING!)
Popover pans make beautiful popovers. Now, I am not telling you to go out and buy a popover pan. That is really unnecessary as you can see below in the side by side picture. You still get the desired effect with a muffin tin, only a little shorter.
If you have a popover pan and want to get this desired shape, you can go ahead and do so. You will just have to add more batter to each well, yielding half the number of popovers.
Pull out the popovers and let them cool. Don’t they look pretty?
Yum.
Now, hurry and go give these a try. You will fall in LOVE!
Oh, and enjoy!
-Robin
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Gluten Free Popovers — Recipe Card
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Boil the water and the butter together and mix well. In the meantime, mix together the potato starch, rice flour, and salt in a mixer bowl. When the butter has completely melted in the water and it begins to boil, add it to the flour mixture and blend with a mixer. Let it sit to cool for 5-10 minutes. Gradually mix the eggs in one at a time. Portion batter into a greased muffin tin or popover pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes. Without opening the door, turn oven down to 350 degrees for an additional 20 minutes. Makes 12 popovers using a muffin tin or 6 popovers using a popover pan.
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