National Cherry Popover Day

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By Nurse Diane

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Long before George Washington could not tell a lie and confessed to chopping down the famed cherry tree, cherries were a wildly popular fruit. Not only were they eaten right off the stem, but they were also baked in pies, cakes and popovers.  I love cherries, but I don’t eat that many of them, they are very good for you and full of melatonin, a substance that aids in sleeping.  In fact the only time I eat a cherry is when it is in a bowl of fruit cocktail, or on the top of some cheesecake.  My husband loved them, and would take a jar of them, stab them with toothpicks and devour the whole jar.

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I am talking about cherries today because today is National Cherry Popover Day.  A popover is similar to a muffin.  It is light and airy, and filled with cherries.  It may seem like a difficult dish to make, however there is a simple recipe from foodnetwork.com that will help you celebrate this day.  So if you have never tried a cherry popover, what are you waiting for?  Make a batch today and celebrate!

Cherry Popovers

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus 1 teaspoon room temperature for pan
• 4 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 1 cup
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup whole milk, room temperature

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Grease a 6-cup popover pan with the 1 teaspoon of butter.
3. Place all of the ingredients into a food processor or blender and process for 30 seconds. Divide the batter evenly between the cups of the popover pan, each should be about 1/3 to 1/2 full. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 40 minutes. Remove the popovers to a cooling rack and pierce each in the top with a knife to allow steam to escape. Serve warm.

National Cherry Popover

By Diane Forrest,

As you are sitting there reading this, I’m sure you are thinking, didn't we just talk about this the other day?  I know, I did a double take too!  September 1st (Terry forgot to post it) is National Cherry Popover day; the other day was National Cherry Turnover Day.  So...what's the difference? 

The cherry turnover is like a pie, a light flaky pastry usually in the shape of a triangle.  A popover however is more like a muffin.  It gets its name from they way it was prepared.  The name "popover" comes from the fact that the batter swells or "pops" over the top of the muffin tin while baking. 

The first mention of a popover was in a letter dated in the 1850's, and the first recipe was printed in 1876.  It is the American version of England's Yorkshire Pudding.  The Yorkshire pudding is not a pudding like we are accustoming to, Jell-O pudding.  Instead it is a batter, like a pancake batter, that was placed under a cooking piece of beef or mutton.  The drippings would fall on the batter below, and was served with the meal as filler.  Diners would fill up on the pudding, and wouldn't need to eat much else.  This was an economical way to cut back on the grocery bill.  

Today, Popovers may be served either as a sweet, topped with fruit and whipped cream and served for breakfast or afternoon tea.  They may also be served with meat for lunch or dinner.  Below is a recipe for Cherry Popovers, so if you have never tried them, today would be a perfect day to have one!

Cherry Popovers

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon, granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup dried cherries

Preparation

• Heat oven to 375° F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 2-quart baking dish.

In a bowl, combine the eggs and 1/3 cup of the sugar. Whisk in the flour until no lumps remain. Whisk in the milk and melted butter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and scatter the cherries over the top. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar and bake until puffed and golden, about 45 minutes. Serve warm.