I lost my Nana this week. She had five children and more than a dozen grandchildren, and she never forgot a single birthday. She was ninety-three and was still an active member of a women’s literary club, drove a car, and wore the cutest clothes and heeled shoes. She spent every holiday with us since I was a young girl, and we are all going to miss her very much.
My nana was a great cook back when she still used the stove, and we loved her pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, and other comfort dishes. I loved going to her fridge and pouring myself a glass of 2% milk because my mom usually bought skim milk, and she always had a sleeve of Fig Newtons ready to eat.
But my favorite memory is going to tea with her. For a few birthdays in a row, Nana would take me to high tea with my mother, and we would enjoy porcelain pots of black tea, scones with clotted cream and plenty of finger sandwiches. I looked forward to it for weeks and was always excited to go. My nana loves a good cup of tea, so I’m dedicating this one to her.
Popovers are kind of like Yorkshire puddings (a high tea treat), but you can easily make them in a muffin pan. The texture is somewhat of a cross between a spongy donut and a muffin, but you will just have to try them for yourself. These are light, a little sweet and have just a touch of peach. I hope Nana would have liked them.
What you need: a muffin pan, a mixing bowl, a sauce pot and a whisk
Time: 20 minutes plus 18 more to bake
Makes: 12 popovers
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoon of salted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups of 2% milk, at room temperature
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup of all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup of cake flour
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 English breakfast tea bags
- two tablespoons of honey
- 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 1 ripe peach, chopped into small pieces
- Nutmeg for topping
- Powdered sugar for topping
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Pour the milk into a cup or Pyrex bowl and place two tea bags in the milk to steep. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.
To prep your pan, brush one tablespoon of melted butter inside all of the muffin tins thoroughly. They need to be nice and greasy so the popovers don’t get stuck.
In a small sauce pot over medium heat, throw in the chopped peaches with the granulated and brown sugar. Cook for about 4 minutes, until mixture is sticky and melted and the peaches are soft. Let cool.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the tea flavored milk with the eggs and beat vigorously for a minute until frothy. Next, add the last tablespoon of melted butter to the bowl along with the vanilla, flour, cake flour and salt. Whisk together gently until combined. There will be some lumps. Finally, add in the peach and sugar mixture as well as the honey and mix together slowly.
Evenly divide the popover mixture among the muffin tins, filling each one about 3/4ths full. Place in the oven in the center rack and bake for 15-18 minutes. Resist the temptation to open the oven too early or else they won’t rise well! When done, remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes. Then dust popovers with nutmeg and powdered sugar to your liking. Enjoy!
