popovers

Place the popover pan in the oven on the second from the bottom rack. Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Gently warm the milk over low heat and set aside. Whisk the eggs until frothy and slowly whisk in the milk (so as not to cook the eggs). Mix the flour with the salt. Slowly add this dry mixture and gently combine until mostly smooth (you still want some wee lumps). Let sit in a warm place for 1 hour (on top of a warm oven is good). Melt 1 TB butter. Remove the pan from the oven and brush the popover cups with butter. Fill each popover cup 3/4 full. At this point, you can, if you like, sprinkle each popover with 2 1/2 TB of a grated cheese of your choice (gruyere, blue, cheddar, parmesan) and/or 1/2 TB of fresh herbs. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 and bake for 20-25 minutes until deep golden brown and airy on the inside. NEVER OPEN THE OVEN DOOR. Remove from the oven and immediately pierce the sides with a paring knife or toothpick (this keeps the insides moist and the outsides crisp). Serve immediately with loads of butter.