Goat Cheese and Pesto Popovers

We’re finally in the holiday spirit. We’ve been battling dust from the new window installation but as of Friday all of the windows are now installed. They still need to paint and stain the inside trim but that shouldn’t be as disruptive and I’ve been told it will only take a day. 

The tree is up, and most of the gifts are purchased, which means the wrapping can begin. I’ve been on a “we need to empty things out of the freezer” kick lately so tonight I made a stew from leftover lamb (I know it’s not vegetarian but every once in a while - moderation my friends), potatoes, carrots, the last of the garden turnips and onions. 

Normally I’d grab a loaf of crusty french bread from the store, but I have a lot of pesto and goat cheese in the fridge so I thought why not try something different. I’ll start by saying I’ve made popovers many times, so when the recipe called for a constant temperature for the entire baking time, I was skeptical but decided what the heck. So I mixed, poured, added pesto and cheese, and popped in the oven. 

About 30 minutes into the 50-minute bake time, smoke came out of the oven from the oils dripping out of the pan and onto the bottom of the oven. I quickly turned on the fan and opened the windows (yes those new windows work very well) after about 10 minutes the smoke detectors finally shut up and the kitchen was clear. Note to self; put a pan on the rack below those messy popovers. 

While delicious, I’d decrease the amount of goat cheese and pesto added to each popover to keep the oils down and reduce the dripping - but they were so good. 

Ingredients:

1 cup whole milk
¼ cup butter, melted
3 large eggs
1 cup flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup soft goat cheese
¼ cup pesto

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375F and generously butter each cup of a popover pan.

In a large mixing bowl with a pouring spout, whisk eggs until frothy. Whisk in melted butter and milk, add flour and salt, and whisk until just mixed – the batter should be lumpy. Divide batter between cups.

Mix goat cheese and pesto together then drop by tablespoons on top of the batter in each cup. Place in oven for 50 minutes.

At 50 minutes, quickly open the oven door and make a small slit in the top of each popover to allow some steam to escape.

Bake another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

Thanks for stopping by!