What Are Popovers And What Do They Taste Like?

If you're not from New England, there's a good chance that you've never actually had a popover. You may never have even seen one on the menu. If that sounds like you, you're in for a treat. An American variation on the British Yorkshire pudding, popovers are a light, buttery pastry popular in the Northeast made with flour, salt, eggs, milk and butter, the Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts blog explains. Unlike their British counterparts, popovers aren't made with beef fat. All the fat used in making the popover comes from butter, and they're typically also served with butter on top. 

So now you know what a popover is, but what does it taste like? "Inside the crisp, golden-brown exterior of the popover," says GBH , the NPR member station in Boston (so you know they know their popovers), "You'll find amazingly moist ribbons of custard with a buttery, slightly eggy flavor."

Want to try popovers for yourself and having trouble finding them at restaurants near you? Thankfully, they're not too hard to make. As Ina Garten explains (via Food Network), "There are three secrets to great popovers: Make sure the pan is hot before you pour in the batter, fill each section not more than half full, and no peeking while they're in the oven!" 

Other than that, it's pretty straight forward. Get your ingredients together, whisk the flour, salt, eggs, milk, and melted butter in the same bowl until your batter is totally smooth, pour your thin, liquid-y batter into your greased popover pan or custard cups, and bake it for a half hour at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. And again — it bears repeating — seriously don't peek. 

Then you're good to go. Serve them with butter and maybe some jam if you'd like a sweeter flavor, and enjoy your light, custardy pastry.