Cheesy Beer Popovers
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If you wanted a glimpse into the eating habits of the Circle B Kitchen, you need look no further than the plethora of recipes in the appetizers section of the recipe index.It’s inordinately long compared to say, the soup section.So there you have it, we do like our finger foods here… anything stuffed, topped or dipped that can be whipped up and served with a glass of wine, sangria or a cold beer on a lazy summer evening or a cozy winter night.
So in spite of the fact that my list of appetizer recipes might be rather long, it doesn’t seem complete without a beer popover, you know?I found this on the Craft Beer website and yes, they turned out super scrumptious and qualified for a coveted spot on The Circle B list of hor d’oeuvres.
In addition to the beer in the batter, these yummy little popovers are filled with Italian sausage, mozzarella cheese, green onions and fresh basil.The recipe suggests that you use a pale ale or mild English beer in these.
I used a pale ale and it was great, but I'm sure that any beer you have on hand would work just fine. To serve, just dip or top them with a little basil pesto, pour yourself a cold one and pay homage to the happy hour gods.
The original recipe is for a standard-sized popover, but I was convinced that they would make perfect little mini popovers for happy hour and I was not wrong.The other variation I have not tried (yet) was to serve these as a breakfast popover doused with maple syrup.
However you decide to serve these, you’re gonna be glad you did.Here’s the recipe…
CHEESY BEER POPOVERS
Click here for a printable recipe
These popovers can be served drizzled with maple syrup or smothered in homemade pesto. Use either a standard-sized popover or muffin tin, or to make bite-sized popovers, use a mini-muffin pan and cut back on the cooking time by about 5 minutes. If you'd like a little kick to your popovers, which we did, use spicy Italian sausage or add some cayenne pepper to the batter.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 sweet or spicy Italian sausage links
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup smoked (or regular) mozzarella, grated
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 cup oak aged pale ale or English mild, room temperature
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 green onions, green and white portions finely sliced
1/4 cup fresh basil
salt and pepper
maple syrup and/or pesto
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray your muffin or popover pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium pan, heat olive oil. Remove sausage from casing and add to the pan. As the sausage begins to brown, add bell pepper.
Season with a pinch of salt. Add garlic and continue to cook until garlic is fragrant and sausage is cooked through.
Spoon the sausage mixture into each muffin tin and top with grated cheese.
Use a blender to mix eggs until frothy; add the milk, beer, flour, green onions and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Blend until the mixture comes together. Divide batter amongst muffin tins, filling to just below the rim.
Bake on the center rack until the popovers puff up and the tops turn golden brown, about 30 to 35 minutes.
Serve immediately with maple syrup or basil pesto.
