Poppy Seed Popovers!

Remember when I said that every recipe on Pinterest isn't always a win? Well this recipe took my two  attempts before I was 100% happy! There was a recipe on Super Golden Bakes for poppy seed popovers that looked delicious. I make popovers every so often so I thought it was odd that you didn't use a blender or food processor to stir.

Since this was a new recipe I wanted to make sure I followed it exactly. However, my lil popovers came out all puffy and pretty, but then flopped when cooling. I tasted them and they were sort of blah, so back to Pinterest! Where I found a recipe from Food & Wine Orange popovers. I didn't have any oranges in the house so I swapped the oranges for lemon! Lemon poppy popovers sounded relish! I also had some Trader Joe's lemon curd in my fridge that would go perfect with them.

So I adapted the Food & Wine Orange popover recipe and changed it to Lemon Poppy Popovers! Plus how fun is the name?

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/4 all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions: 

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Brush the popover pan or muffin tin with butter and coat all sides well. Heat the pan in the oven for 5 minutes, butter should be a nutty brown. 
• In a blender, mix the eggs with the sugar and lemon zest. Add the milk and 3 tablespoons of the melted butter and vanilla and mix for a few seconds. Add the dry ingredients and blend until smooth (about 30 seconds). 
• Carefully fill the pan with the popover pan halfway with the batter. 
• Bake the popovers for about 30 minutes, until they are risen and browned. Turn the popovers onto a serving platter and serve warm with preserves or lemon curd. 

 

Guest Blogger - Spinach Torta in Potato Crust

Today we have our FIRST guest blogger! You might have heard me mention Kate in some of my earlier posts regarding wedding showers!! She is an amazing cook, baker, chef and more!! I am so excited that she is sharing some of her recipes and secrets with us!!

Also, this could be a great time to test out that homemade ricotta you made!!

I made this spinach torta for Easter, inspired by this post. The blog is written in the Netherlands so the measurement units aren't what I'm used to, so I outlined what I did below. 

Spinach Torta in Potato Crust

• 1lb Fresh Baby Spinach
• 2 Eggs
• 1 C Part Skim Ricotta
• 1 C Fresh Herbs (I used about 3/4 C Parsley and 1/4 C Chives)
• 1 - 1 1/2 C Feta
• Zest of one Lemon
• Salt & Pepper
• 2-3 Russet Potatoes
• Olive Oil
• Springform Pan 

Place a large skillet over medium heat, add the spinach with a splash of water, toss until all spinach is wilted. You may need to add the spinach in batches if it doesn't all fit in the skillet at first, it will cook down. Place the cooked spinach in a clean kitchen towel and twist/squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. Roughly chop the spinach and set aside. 

In a bowl mix the eggs and ricotta, add herbs, feta, spinach and lemon zest. Season with S&P and mix well. Set aside. 

Peel the potatoes and slice 1/8 inch thick, slice one potato lengthwise to make long slices to line the sides of the springform pan, and the other 1-2 potatoes into rounds to line the bottom of the pan. I used my mandoline slicer and put the slices in a bowl of cold water as I was working. This helps to keep the potatoes from browning while they sit, and draws out some of the starch. 

Place a nonstick skillet over med-high heat and brush lightly with olive oil. Working in batches remove potatoes from the water, dry well with a towel, then fry in the skillet until lightly browned on both sides and tender. Remove potatoes from skillet to paper towel and continue with remaining potato slices until you have enough to cover the bottom and sides of the springform pan. 

Preheat the oven to 375.

Spray the springform pan generously with nonstick spray and use the potatoes to create your crust. I started with the sides, using the lengthwise slices to create one layer going around the side of the pan, with the potatoes slightly overlapping. 

Then use the potato rounds to cover the bottom, starting on the outside, working your way in, in a circle, and slightly overlapping again to create a solid layer to hold the spinach mixture. Pour the spinach-ricotta mixture into the prepared pan, being careful  not to disturb the potatoes. 

Place in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes until the spinach mixture is set and everything is golden brown. 

This looks DELISH and I can't wait to try this recipe!! Thank you so much Kate for sharing and we can't wait for your next recipe!

Happy Pinning!!
By Kate Lindsey