Fresh Thyme Popovers

Okay, so popovers aren't a Tuscan thing - I don't think they're even Italian - but I love eggy things, so I thought I'd start out with a recipe I've made many times. They go well with any meat dish or stand perfectly alone as a breakfast.

I've had a hard time trying to get my popovers to pop and a couple of things have helped. First, I like to bring the egg and milk to room temperature ahead of time while I'm doing other things. Second, the pan should always be heated before you pour the batter in. Third, fill up cups only half way with batter. Don't over fill your them. This recipe is for 8 popovers and my pan only has 6 cups. Trying to squeeze in the last of the batter will be a fail.

Other modifications. You can reduce the salt to about 1/4 tsp if you wanted. You can omit the butter, but it's more custardy and lessy crispy on the outside then, so please don't.

Some say you can make the batter up to 4 days ahead if you refrigerate it, and others say 2 hours. But I think it's just easier to make it fresh when you want to eat it because you still have to let the batter reach room temperature before pouring it into a hot pan, and that alone could take an hour.

Without further ado, my favorite popover recipe from Cooking Light. They're only about 97 calories each, so gobble them up!

• 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, thyme, and salt, stirring with a whisk. Combine milk and eggs in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk until blended; let stand 30 minutes. Gradually add flour mixture to milk mixture, stirring well with a whisk. Stir in melted butter.

3. Coat 8 popover cups with cooking spray; sprinkle cheese evenly among cups. Place cups in oven at 375° for 5 minutes. Divide batter evenly among prepared cups. Bake at 375° for 40 minutes or until golden. Serve immediately.