Neiman Marcus Popovers

Mom and I love to lunch on Mariposa’s lanai on the third floor of Neiman Marcus, which overlooks the Art Deco bridge of Ala Moana Beach Park.

We’ve been missing the popovers with strawberry butter (which I believe once upon a time was served with pineapple butter), so I thought I’d make a batch for Sunday dinner in anticipation of their reopening on June 12.

Note: Popovers are only served at lunch; monkey bread is served at dinner.

{Popover with strawberry butter at Mariposa, Neiman Marcus at Ala Moana.}

In July 2012, the social media associate editor of NM, Kristen Spaulding, wrote about the making of NM popovers from inside the Zodiac kitchen in a post "NMdaily | Fashion Café: Popovers & Strawberry Butter."

(The NMDaily blog has since been taken down.)

Neiman Marcus Popover Recipe:

3 1/2 cups milk
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 large eggs, at room temperature

Preheat oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit.

Pour milk into a saucepan and set over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until lukewarm (but not hot), about 110 degrees fahrenheit. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder into a large bowl.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, beat the eggs on low speed for about 3 minutes, until foamy and pale in color. Stir in the warm milk and continue to mix at low speed. Gradually add the flour mixture to the beaten eggs at low speed then increase the speed to medium and mix for 2 minutes longer. Let the batter rest for 1 hour at room temperature.

Spray a 12-cup nonstick popover tin generously with nonstick spray and set on a baking sheet.  Fill the cups of the tin almost to the top with batter.  Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Bake the popovers  for 30 to 35 minutes longer, or until they are deep golden brown and crispy on the outside and airy on the inside.

Serve hot with strawberry butter.

Strawberry Butter Recipe:

1 pound unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups strawberry preserves

Beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the preserves and beat until well combined. To serve, spoon or pipe into one-ounce ramekins or bread and butter plates.

{Poured from the mixing bowl to a measuring cup to make pouring the batter into the tins easier.}

{Scaled down strawberry butter recipe: one block of room temperature butter (a quarter of a pound of butter) and a quarter cup plus one tablespoon of strawberry preserves.}

{A child-friendlier popover recipe found in the Neiman Marcus Coloring Book.}

Notes: Mom once made popovers in muffin tins, but they didn’t rise much as the tin is too shallow.