Recipe: Mixed Mushroom and Goat Cheese Popover Bake
This bake is going to change the way you view light and airy popovers. Did you know that you can bake one giant popover for a crowd? And that you can fill the sizzling batter with good things like thyme-scented mushrooms and goat cheese?
This is popover 2.0 — just in time for Thanksgiving!
How to Elevate Popovers Beyond the Dinner Roll
A classic popover is a beautiful thing: a puff of airy, custardy goodness with a crispy edge. Here, we’re baking the batter in a single large baking dish instead of individual tins. This way it puffs up but then quickly sinks when taken out of the oven to form a sort of light crust for your choice of filling.
Now, our English readers are probably looking askance at us right now, as this is obviously a Yorkshire pudding, but most Yanks don’t seem to know the relationship between our popovers (baked in a hot muffin tin) and Yorkshire pudding, which is a nearly identical batter but traditionally baked in a large dish.
This arrangement is delightfully convenient and also excellent for a holiday meal. For Thanksgiving, earthy mushrooms, which are sautéed with red onions, garlic, and thyme, feel right.
Make-ahead moment: The filling can be made up to two days ahead of time and refrigerated until you’re ready to whisk together the popover batter and bake it.
A healthy crumbling of goat cheese on top makes this something that can not only be enjoyed as a side dish, but can also work as a main dish for the vegetarians at your table. It’s also something I can confidently say you’ll want to bake again and again post-holiday, whether it be for brunch, lunch, or even a light dinner with a salad alongside.
Mixed Mushroom and Goat Cheese Popover Bake
Serves 8 to 10
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons
olive oil, plus more for coating the pan
- 1
medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 pound
mixed fresh mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake, or portobello, cleaned and sliced (about 5 cups)
- 2 cloves
garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons
chopped fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces
goat cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)
- 1 cup
whole or 2% milk
- 2
large eggs
- 3 tablespoons
melted unsalted butter, divided
- 1 cup
(5 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon
kosher salt
Instructions
Lightly coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with oil or cooking spray. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 425°F.
Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and mushrooms and sauté until browned and tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and sauté for an additional 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
In a food processor or blender, or with a whisk and a bowl, blend the milk, eggs, and 1 tablespoon of the melted butter until completely combined. Add the flour and the salt. Blend until frothy and bubbly.
Put the baking dish in the oven for 2 minutes to warm. Remove from the oven and pour the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter evenly over the bottom of the dish. Pour the batter into the dish, place it back in the oven, and bake until it puffs up and lightly browns at the edges, 12 to 14 minutes.
Remove the dish from the oven, spoon the mushroom mixture evenly into the center of the popover, then sprinkle the goat cheese over the mushrooms. Bake until the cheese has melted and the edges of the popover are golden-brown, about 10 minutes more. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The sautéed mushrooms and onions can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.