Editor’s Note: We regret that the popovers video with Alton Brown was discontinued by the distributor. We’ve included links to other popover recipes below, plus this elegant blueberry popover recipe from Two Cups Flour (photo #1).
 
 
March 10th is National Blueberry Popover Day. Here’s a recipe for popovers that can use blueberries, cherries or other fruits.

Crunchy and golden on the outside, moist and airy on the inside, popovers are a puffy delight like the Indian bread, poori. But the buttery, crunchy taste is uniquely popover.

Popovers look fancy, but they are easy to make with the ingredients in your kitchen: eggs, flour, whole milk, butter, and kosher salt.
 
> National Raspberry Popover Day is May 3rd.

> National Cherry Popover Day is September 1st.

> The history of popovers.
 
 
DO YOU REALLY NEED A POPOVER PAN?

Can’t you use a muffin tin?

Sure, a muffin pan will bake popovers just fine. But a popover pan will give you taller popovers with a more defined “mushroom” top. The popovers from a muffin tin will taste the same, but the popovers will have flat tops and won’t be dramatic-looking.

If you want the thrill of a fully risen popover, treat yourself: This popover pan will last a lifetime.

Here are more uses for a popover pan.

Alton Brown makes it look so easy in this video that you’ll want to order the popover pan post haste! The ingredients are already in the kitchen:

In honor of National Blueberry Day, you can add some chopped dried blueberries—or better yet, wait for June when blueberries start to come into season. We think popovers are magnificent plain; or with a bit of flavor from a tablespoon of chopped basil, thyme or Parmesan cheese added to the batter.

You’ll want to dig into the popovers as soon as they come out of the oven. Leftovers will last a couple of days in an airtight plastic bag. Microwave them briefly before serving.

> The History Of Popovers
 
 
POPOVERS AS A “SERVING DISH”

Popovers are more than a delightful brunch or dinner roll.

Just like a baked potato, a popover can be filled to create a dish that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Cut the popovers in half and fill them with scrambled eggs, chicken salad, fruit, yogurt or whatever appeals to you.

For a dessert popover filled with lemon curd, ice cream, or pie filling, add a teaspoon of sugar to the batter.
 

MORE POPOVER RECIPES

[1] How can you resist these blueberry popovers? Here’s the recipe from Two Cups Flour (photo © Two Cups Flour).

[2] This recipe from Joy The Baker adds lemon curd with the blueberries (photo © Joy The Baker).

[3] Plain popovers in a spiffy red pan (photo © Neiman Marcus).

Should we use imported fresh fruits, or consider frozen domestic fruits?

Quick-frozen fruit, picked at the peak of ripeness, is a better bet than fruit that has been traveling for weeks in the hold of a ship.

Out of season, get your fruit in the freezer section, not in the produce department. The frozen fruit will deliver much more flavor.

Don’t thaw the fruit before baking. Just add an additional 5 to 10 minutes of baking time.

Have Some Pie Right Now

Take a look at our lovely Pie Glossary, and plan to bake a pie you haven’t tried before.

Find pie recipes in our Pie & Pastry Section.

Drinkin’ o’ the green: a delicious milkshake. Photo courtesy McCormick.

Our first mint milkshake recipe, from McCormick, makes three servings; prep time is just five minutes.

EMERALD MINT MILKSHAKE RECIPE

Ingredients

Preparation

1. Place ice cream, milk, peppermint extract and green food color in blender; cover. Blend on high speed until smooth.

2. Pour into glasses. Top with whipped cream and sprinkles, if desired. Serve immediately.

*You can make green whipped cream, too. Make a conventional whipped cream recipe, adding several drops of food color before beating. Add it drop by drop, until you reach the desired color.
THE NIBBLE’S ADULT ST. PATRICK’S DAY MILKSHAKE

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. Place whiskey, liqueur, ice cream and green food color in blender; cover. Blend on high speed until smooth.

2. Pour into glass. Top with whipped cream/green whipped cream and sanding sugar, if desired. Serve immediately.

Find more St. Patrick’s Day recipes.

Give the cake pop trend some St. Patrick’s Day spirit and bake a batch of these tempting treats.

They look pretty on the outside, but the surprise is on the inside: green cake!

This recipe, from McCormick, is all you need for a St. Patrick’s afternoon tea—along with tea, of course, and perhaps an Irish Coffee Martini, traditional Irish Coffee or an Irish whiskey cocktail.

You can also bake Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes, Irish Coffee Cheesecake and the Emerald Isle Cheesecake Bars we’ll be posting tomorrow.

This recipe makes 4 dozen cake pops or 24 two-pop servings. Prep time 45 minutes, cook time 35 minutes.
 
 
RECIPE: CAKE POPS FOR ST. PAT’S

You can vary the colors for any occasion.

 
Preparation

1. Bake the cake. Prepare cake mix as directed on the package, adding food color. Bake as directed on the package for a 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Cool completely on a wire rack.

2. Make cake balls. Crumble cake into a large bowl. Add marshmallow creme; mix until well blended. Shape into 1-inch balls. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

3. Coat in chocolate. Melt coating wafers as directed on the package. For each Cake Pop, dip 1/2 inch of lollipop stick into the melted coating. Insert the dipped end of the lollipop stick halfway into the cake ball. Let stand until the coating is set. Dip each cake pop into the melted coating. Shake gently to remove excess coating.

4. Decorate. Sprinkle or roll cake pops in green sprinkles if desired. Place cake pops in styrofoam blocks. Let stand until the coating is set.

5. Serve. Serve in short glassware or a short vase, in the styrofoam or other holder. If you don’t have a styrofoam block, use upside-down foam egg cartons or a cardboard box to hold the cake pops. You can also poke holes with an ice pick in a melon, squash, or rustic (crusty) bread loaf.

*COOKING NOTE: Confectionary coating is used for candy making and coating. It is packaged in wafer form and is available in a variety of colors and flavors, including milk and dark chocolate. It can be found in the cake decorating aisle of craft and party stores.

Find more of our favorite cake by pulling down the menu in the right column.
 
 

Yesterday we provided step-by-step instructions on how to poach the perfect egg.

In this video, Alton Brown demonstrates it. Join him and poach a few.

Know the different types of eggs? There are many more options than “white” and “brown.”
Check ’em out.

Discover more about eggs, plus recipes, in our Eggs Section.