Parmesan and Pepper Popovers

Like bacon and eggs or burgers and fries, prime rib and popovers go hand in hand. We’ve given the traditional batter a flavor boost by adding Parmesan cheese and plenty of ground black pepper. Serve these airy, high-rising popovers warm from the oven alongside our Prime Rib with Whipped Herb Butter. 

Parmesan and Pepper Popovers

Ingredients

• Melted butter or canola oil for greasing
• 2 cups (16 fl. oz./500 ml) milk
• 8 eggs
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) (2 oz./60 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 3/4 cups (9 oz./280 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more as needed
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (2 oz./60 g) grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 450°F (230°C). Lightly coat the wells of two 6-well popover pans or one 12-well popover pan with melted butter or oil.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and melted butter. Add the flour, pepper, salt and cheese and stir until combined.

3. Place the empty popover pans in the oven and preheat for 5 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven and divide the batter evenly among the wells, filling each about half full. Sprinkle a heaping 1 tsp. cheese and a grinding of pepper over each popover.

4. Bake for 12 minutes without opening the oven, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C). Continue baking until the popovers are golden brown and firm to the touch, 7 to 10 minutes more.

5. Transfer the pans to a wire rack and let the popovers cool for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pans and serve warm. Makes 12 popovers.

Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen