Popovers

We had company for dinner last night, and since we were having a bbq'd prime rib roast as the entree, I thought I'd make one of my favorite accompaniments, popovers.

I first had these ...well, let's see you can't really call them rolls, or bread...they're just in a class by themselves...at our gourmet club years ago. In any event, I really just learned that the difference between popovers and yorkshire pudding is the fact that the latter is made with drippings from the roast. I didn't want to mess around complicating the recipe as I was also in charge of the salad, consisting of living lettuce...(no jokes please), sliced pears, caramelized pecans, tossed in Champagne Pear Vinaigrette (Trader Joe's) and garlic mashed potatoes.

We also found some strawberries dipped in chocolate in time for a Valentine's Day dessert, albeit a few days early. But, back to the popovers. I remember that I was a little disappointed the last time I made them, so I dug out some additional recipes...with the help of the internet. Melinda Lee is one of my favorite radio chefs, so I went to her site and found some helpful hints to make these turn out just right. The last recipe I had called for a cold oven. Melinda says to preheat to 475 (what a difference). You turn the temp down later. She also suggests not overbeating the batter, and using a skewer the last few minutes of baking to poke a hole on the side of each popover to let out the moisture and dry out them out a bit.

The problem came when our guests got lost and were late...so I put the mixture in the refrigerator, rather than leave beaten eggs and milk out. I should have brought the batter to room temperature before baking. I know if any chefs are reading this, I can hear the "duh!" now, but it's always a problem, trying to converse and cook. So, I'm anxious to try them again...because the top did not rise (which is the best part of the presentation) and they came out looking like ordinary muffins. However, they still were very tasty, so all was not lost.
Check out Melinda Lee's recipe in her archive file. Your guests will love them.

Gourmet cooking

Seeing all the Thanksgiving turkey dinner recipes this past week makes me realize how spoiled we've been over the years. Never had to cook a holiday dinner. Always go to my cousin's home. Bernie and Susan are perfect hosts.

Bernie was Art Director for Bon Appetit magazine for years. He got to sample a lot of the dishes shown in the magazine. Being creative to begin with, his meals are not only scrumptous, but the presentation is as attractive as anything you'd see in the magazine. We love his Italian sausage dressing! I usually bring my salmon ball appetizer w/crackers.

One of the best foodie things we've ever done is belong to a Gourmet Club. When we were newly married, I joined the American Association of University Women. We had groups of four couples. We'd rotate duty as hosts. The host couple came up with the menu and assigned the various dishes. The hosts usually prepared the entree and provided the drinks. Everyone kept track of their expenses, which we would divide at the end of the evening. Everyone had a copy of the entire menu. I can't imagine any one couple preparing the whole meal. The experience opened us up to a whole new array of ingredients and recipes.

The first year or two were devoted to different countries. It gave us a chance to share my Italian recipes. We made homemade lasagna noodles. One big lesson learned was when I doled out the recipe for "Braciola" or beef rolls. We had to completely rewrap it when the couple got there. My instructions left a lot to be desired. I'm in awe of how quickly Rachael Ray and Emeril turn out their cookbooks.

Two meals that stand out as real winners were China and England. The couple who shared their Chinese ancestor recipes included, Thousand Year Old Egg, Westlake Duck (which they deboned from the inside out), and Winter Melon Soup (which they served in a carved out melon). A Toast to Merry Ole England included Tenderloin of Beef Wellington, Yorkshire pudding (which is now in our repertoire) and Bibb Lettuce Five Crowns style.