Popovers, aka Yorkshire pudding, are best savored with friends and family

The kindest person I’ve ever known was my friend Shoshana’s mother, Deanna. She passed away at about the same time my mother did. Shoshana and I attended back-to-back memorial services and stood near each other as we shared poignant memories about our mothers. At Deanna’s memorial, I relayed a story about the time in college I was terribly sick with the flu and Deanna, who was a nurse, dropped off a big box filled with comforting, “feel better” items, including a whole pineapple. The enclosed note explained that pineapples have more vitamin C than oranges, so I should eat up. I can’t see a pineapple now without thinking of Deanna’s boundless good heart.

One summer when I was in my 30s, Shoshana and I drove to visit Deanna in Raymond, where Deanna lived with her own mother. I have the most beautiful memory of waking up on the first day of my visit, sun streaming through the window. I ambled into the kitchen, where Shoshana, her mother and grandmother were all gathered around the table, slathering jam onto what looked like Yorkshire puddings.

“Mom made popovers!” Shoshana said.

We sat in the lemony morning light and ate popover after popover, heavy with jam and still warm from the oven. I’d never heard of popovers before, which was too bad because they’re delicious. I identified them as Yorkshire puddings for a good reason: The ingredients and baking technique make them nearly identical. The main difference is that Yorkshire pudding can be cooked in drippings from roast beef while popovers are cooked in butter. Yorkshire puddings are meant to be enjoyed with savory meals while popovers are perfect for jam, marmalade, lemon curd or even fresh berries and whipped cream. Both recipes are wondrously springy and eggy, hollow and soft on the inside but crispy on the outside. Both taste best when eaten just out of the oven, releasing a tantalizing puff of steam when cut open.

In the name of research, I read J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s excellent article on Serious Eats about Yorkshire pudding and popovers. He makes about a million batches and tests every technique. His conclusion: It’s hard to make terrible popovers, yet somehow I did, ruining two batches of his fail-safe popovers (or Yorkshire puddings, whichever). My daughter saw my flopped, dense popovers and encouraged me to use the tried-and-true recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I did and they turned out beautifully on my first try.

So here’s my recipe for popovers, which I’ve enhanced (at least I think so) with vanilla and cinnamon. If you leave out the vanilla and cinnamon, and grease your custard cups with beef drippings instead of butter or oil, this recipe becomes Yorkshire pudding. I 100 percent encourage you to try Yorkshire pudding the next time you make a roast; nothing is better for soaking up gravy. OK, mashed potatoes are better at soaking up gravy. But you can have two gravy-soakers on your plate and all the better for you. You will likely be regarded as a genius.

To start, whisk together two large eggs, 1 cup of milk and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. If making popovers, add vanilla and cinnamon. Add 1 cup flour and ¼ teaspoon salt. For extra-puffy popovers or puddings, let the batter sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, although I couldn’t wait that long.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees and grease six muffin cups or six custard ramekins with ½ teaspoon butter, vegetable oil or beef drippings in each cup, making sure to cover the bottom and sides all the way up to the top. Fill each muffin cup or ramekin half-full. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and prick with a fork to let the steam escape. (If you want crispier popovers, turn off the oven but return the popovers to the oven for another 5 or 10 minutes. Again, I could not wait.) Serve immediately with jam or roast beef. Choose your own adventure!

Although Deanna’s gone, she left me a treasure in Shoshana, a lifelong friend who embodies Deanna’s cheerful goodness and compassion. As a public defender, Shoshana is acutely aware of the world’s sorrows, but quick to laugh and slow to take offense. When I’ve been in crisis, Shoshana has dropped everything to be by my side, offering a voice of reason and calm good sense. I wish I could thank Deanna, but I can’t. Instead, I just hold fast to Shoshana’s friendship, a life preserver when the seas of circumstance are rough. So here’s to a family legacy of good-heartedness and to friends you’d never trade for all the popovers in the world.

Popovers/Yorkshire Pudding

2 large eggs

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup flour

¼ teaspoon salt

Optional for popovers: 1 teaspoon vanilla and ½ teaspoon cinnamon

3 teaspoons butter or beef drippings

Whisk together eggs, flour, milk and salt until smooth. If making popovers, add cinnamon and vanilla. (For puffier popovers or puddings, let batter sit at room temperature for at least a half-hour.) Set oven to 400 degrees. In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk together eggs and milk (plus vanilla and cinnamon if making popovers). Add flour and salt and whisk until smooth. Grease a six-cup muffin tin or six ramekins with ½ teaspoon butter, oil or beef drippings. Bake for 40 minutes. Prick the popovers to release steam, remove from tins or cups and serve immediately. (For crispier popover, turn oven off but return them to the hot oven for 5 or 10 minutes.) Popovers are delicious with jam, marmalade, lemon curd or fresh berries with whipped cream. Yorkshire pudding is perfect with roast beef. This recipe makes six but can easily be doubled.