Pop on Over

On Friday I received my December issue of Real Simple. As I flipped through I came across a recipe for "Secretly Simple Popovers" which inspired our breakfast for Saturday morning. We happened to have some bacon on hand, so I got to experimenting... and I have to say, the result was absolutely delicious.

Bacon & Parmesan Popovers
(adapted from a Real Simple recipe)
Makes 12

Ingredients
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1.5 cups whole milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 slices bacon, cooked, drained and cut into 1/2" pieces
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the bacon: Line the bottom of a broiler pan with foil. This will make for easy cleanup later. Arrange the bacon slices on the top broiler pan and place in a cold oven. Turn oven onto 400F. Walk away, and come back 17 to 20 minutes later. As soon as the bacon is golden brown and crispy, it's done. Drain on paper towels. Once cool, cut the bacon into 1/2" pieces and set aside.

Keep oven on at 400F. Brush the cups of a 12-cup non-stick muffin tin with butter. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, milk, eggs, butter and salt until only a few lumps remain (do not overmix). Gently stir in bacon.

Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups and sprinkle each cup with a teaspoon of Parmesan cheese. Bake until puffed and a deep golden brown, 30-35 minutes. (Do not open oven door before 30 minutes or the popover will collapse. Serve immediately!