April 2007

Spring is here and I even have daffodils blooming by my front porch.   The bluebells are not blooming but they usually don’t appear until later in the Spring. In fac,t if I remember correctly, they usually are here for May baskets which is the first of May.  I no longer have a forsythia bush since we built a new garage on top of it along with my wisteria.  I do however have a rather small straggly start of a wisteria.  It is a beautiful flower with long lavender blooms that smell heavenly.  It will probably not bloom again in my lifetime, since it is so small. 

One of my favorite things to do in the Spring is to go to Neiman Marcus store in Oakbrook IL and have lunch.  They always bring you popovers , strawberry butter and a cup of chicken broth.  My husband Rocky, who never eats chicken loves this broth.  The popovers and strawberry butter are my favorite food.  Mindy my daughter found the recipe on line and I made them at Christmas time.  The ones I made in a regular popover pan were great the dozen I made in a regular muffin pan were not as great.   I got the popover pan at the Kitchen Sink store in Amana, but I think they have them at the Kitchen store at Northpark.

This came with the Neiman Marcus Cookbook by Kevin Garvin, John Harrisson or you can find it at Cookbook Heaven at Recipelink.com:  Popovers are another trademark food item-and the most recognizable- at Neiman Marcus restaurants.  As we open new restaurants around the country.  I always warn our chefs that they should never run out of popovers during lunch.  Invariably, shortly after opening, they do anyway because they have not gotten the timing down yet-these popovers take almost an hour to bake and if you are not paying attention, you get caught waiting for them to finish.  The worst sin a chef can commit at Neiman Marcus is to attempt to send out different bread to substitute for late popovers.  I let them know that it’s better to tell our customers that the popovers will take a few more minutes, because they’ll prefer to wait.  (I know I always have because they are so wonderful).  Popovers are best served straight from the oven.  If you’re serious about perfect popovers, I recommend checking your oven calibration with an accurate oven thermometer.   Remember that these popovers rise by three or four inches, so make sure your oven racks are spaced appropriately.

Neiman Marcus Popovers

Makes 1 dozen

1 ½ c milk

4 c all purpose flour

1 ½ t salt

1 t baking powder

6 large eggs, at room temperature

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees

2. Place the milk in a bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes, or until warm to   

    the touch   Sift the flour,salt, and baking powder together in a large mixing                                                     

    bowl.

3. Crack the eggs into the work bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk and

     beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until foamy and pale in color.       

     Turn down the mixer to low and add the warm milk.

4. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat on medium speed for about 2 min-

     utes.  Turn the machine off and let the batter rest for 1 hour at room tempera-

      ture.

5. Spray a popover tin generously with nonstick spray.  Fill the popover cups

     almost to the top with the batter and place the popover tin on a cookie sheet.

     Transfer tp the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

6. Turn down the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for 30 to 35

     minutes longer, until the popovers are a deep golden brown on the outside

      and airy on the inside.  Turn out the popovers and serve hot with strawberry

      butter

Note:

The key to making great popovers is having the eggs and milk warm before mixing.  It is also important to let the batter sit for an hour before baking it.  Popovers do not freeze well and pre-made batter has a tendency not to work properly the  next day.

To make this recipe you will need a Teflon-lined popover pan with a 12 cup capacity,  purchased at the places I mentioned earlier.

Strawberry Butter

1 pound unsalted butter, softened

1 ¼ c strawberry preserves.

Beat the butter until light and fluffy.  Add the preserves and beat until well combined.  To serve, spoon or pipe into one-ounce ramekins ar bread and butter plates.

You may find it easier to drive to Oakbrook to enjoy this treat.  It is well worth the work or the trip.

I am cutting this a little short.  I have several recipes Guelda Reynolds has given to me, but Jane our great editor wishes to give you Ann Eliza Haertjen’s Strawberry Pie recipe.  I believe she used to use the same recipe also for red raspberries.  They are also another excellent dishes.