Popovers with Compound Butter

Popovers were a large part of my childhood, and especially remind me of cold winter nights (sort of like tonight). My mother could whip these up quickly and she often did. They have always been a favorite of mine, and the recipe is shockingly simple. I've based this recipe off of Mark Bittman's popover recipe in How to Cook Everything.

Serve (or just eat) them warm with jam, honey, or plain butter. To lend an extra special touch to this easy recipe, I recommend serving them with a compound butter that complements the rest of the meal. A compound butter is basically a flavored butter, which can be used for any number of things. You can go savory or sweet with these butters, and they (like popovers) are ridiculously easy to make. Below, I've given you a recipe for garlic herb compound butter.

Popovers
Adapted from Mark Bittman's popover recipe in How to Cook Everything


Ingredients
{Popovers} 
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk
2 large eggs (at room temperature--this is very important)
1 Tablespoon melted butter
1/4 teaspoon salt


{Garlic Herb Compound Butter}
1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, softened (but not melted)
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (I used thyme and rosemary this time)
3 cloves garlic


Recipe
{Popovers}
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Combine all ingredients in a blender, or in a bowl with a whisk (the blender is the better option, as it will incorporate more air into the batter and ultimately create taller, more dramatic, popovers). Pour batter into greased muffin tin (or popover pan), filling the cups 2/3 of the way.

Bake at 450˚F for 15 minutes, then turn the oven temperature down to 350˚F and bake for 20 more minutes. It is very important you do not open the oven door during this time. If you've got an oven light, feel free to check on your popovers that way, and if you don't--leave yourself in suspense. Opening the oven door during cooking (especially during the first part) will cause heat to escape quickly, changing the temperature of the oven and probably resulting in the collapse of your popovers. Just don't do it. Put the popovers in, set the timer, and walk away. 

Remove the popovers from the oven and enjoy with a little jam, or compound butter, or anything else you'd like.

{Garlic Herb Compound Butter}

Boil garlic in a small pot for approximately 3 minutes, then immediately drain hot water and submerge garlic cloves in an ice bath. Chop finely and mix with rest of ingredients in a small bowl. I find a fork mixes most thoroughly.  Once all ingredients are combined, put butter in a square of parchment paper and roll into a cylinder. Close ends of parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. To speed the process, freeze for about 30 minutes. Remove from fridge (or freezer) and cut into slices to serve.