Edible Accidents

Sometimes, the best discoveries in life come from “failures.” This is true for the kitchen too; an over baked cake can be transformed into a delicious trifle. The dry cake layers can be cubed, tossed with simple syrup or simply layered with custard and whipped cream. A magnificent dessert from a potential disaster. A chef friend of mine was hosting dinner for 10 at his home one evening. In his rush to get dinner prepared, he left a gallon of vanilla ice cream on the counter. Voila- instant sauce for his homemade shortcakes. Yorkshire pudding is a British specialty, in which, a batter, similar to that used for popovers, is poured into a shallow pan containing the fat from cooked roast beef, and cooked in the oven. Originally, the batter was placed in a pan beneath the roast to catch the drippings while it cooked.
Popovers can be sweet or savory. They are traditionally filled served with butter and jam, but can also replace gougere pastry in appetizers when filled with crab salad, or warm cheese. When I was playing with the recipe for basic popovers, it occurred to me to fill the warm puffs with fluffy scrambled eggs and goat cheese. I sprinkled the finished dish with chives and settled down to enjoy a delightful breakfast on a cold April morning.
--Josie

See Breakfast Popovers with Scrambled Eggs and Chevre