Neiman Marcus Popovers With Strawberry Jam

Prep time: 1¼ hours

Cook time: 50 minutes

Makes 1 dozen

Every year Bonnie Damiano of Sacramento celebrates her birthday by having lunch at the Rotunda, the elegant restaurant in San Francisco's Neiman Marcus. She particularly enjoys the popovers and was hoping for the recipe.

The Mailbox featured the recipe for this huge, crusty treat in August 2000, when Lorainne Padula of Willits requested it after enjoying it at Neiman Marcus' Mariposa restaurant in Honolulu. Douglas Lum, manager and executive chef of Mariposa at the time, shared this recipe with us.

For best results, you'll want to use a popover pan. You can find a 6-cup pan made by Chicago Metallic at Williams-Sonoma for $20.

Ingredients:

Popovers

6 eggs

3½ cups milk

4 cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

Nonstick spray

Strawberry butter ingredients

1 pound unsalted butter, softened

1¼ cups strawberry preserves

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Warm the eggs to room temperature under hot running water for three to four minutes. Microwave the milk on high for two minutes or until warm to the touch.

Mix the flour, salt and baking powder together in a large mixing bowl. Beat the eggs at high speed until foamy and pale in color, about three minutes. Stir in the warm milk at low speed to the eggs. Gradually add the flour mixture to the beaten eggs at low speed. Beat for two minutes on medium speed. Let the batter rest for one hour.

Spray the popover tin heavily with nonstick spray. Fill cups almost to the top with batter. Place popover tin on a cookie sheet. Bake 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake for 30 to 35 minutes more. Popovers should be a deep golden brown on the outside and airy on the inside. Serve hot with strawberry butter.

For the strawberry butter: Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the preserves and beat until well combined. To serve, spoon into 1-ounce ramekins or onto bread and butter plates.

Per popover, without butter: 232 calories; 10 grams protein; 36 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams fat (2 saturated, 2 monounsaturated, 1 polyunsaturated); 116 milligrams cholesterol; 399 milligrams sodium; 1 gram fiber; 21 percent calories from fat.

This story was originally published February 20, 2008 at 4:50 AM with the headline "Neiman Marcus Popovers With Strawberry Jam."