Cheesy Herbed Popovers

I can't say that I was always a fan of Emeril Lagasse but it was his recent cookbook, Farm to Fork, that made me give him a second look. There are so many tasty recipes in the cookbook and of course I gave the ones with cheese the highest priority. So last night I decided to whip up a batch of his cheesy herbed popovers. These were so simple to put together. While the rest of the dinner was cooking, these popovers were in the oven doing their magic as only popovers can do. Light, cheesy and perfect!

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped mixed herbs such as parsley, basil or chives
2 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese

1. Pre heat oven to 450 F

2. Brush the cups of a standard 12 cup muffin tin with some of the melted butter. Divide the Parmesan evenly among the cups.

3. Combine the eggs, salt, pepper, milk, cream and the remaining butter in a blender and blend until well combined. Add the flour and blend for 15 seconds, until smooth.

4. Add the fresh herbs (no more blending) and fill each muffin cup half way with the batter. Divide the cheddar among the cups and fill the muffin cups to the top with the remaining batter.

5. Bake the popovers at 450 for 15 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 10 more minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DURING THE BAKING TIME!

6. Remove the muffins tin from the oven and unmold the popovers on to a wire rack. Pierce the side of each popover with a small sharp knife to allow the steam to escape (this will help keep them from deflating.) Serve immediately.

Blue Cheese, pear, bacon and sage pizza

What better way to kick off this new blog than with a simple recipe involving my all time favorite cheese. There are numerous types of blue cheese but my favorite is Saga Blue and boy was I happy when I found it crumbled in the cheese department yesterday at my local grocery store. If you can't find Sage Blue, most stores carry 4 oz containers of Gorgonzola or standard blue cheese.

I've wanted to try this pizza recipe for quite some time. I love the idea of the pungent blue cheese mixed with the mellowness of a Bosc pear and the smokiness of bacon. The sage was a last minute idea because I happen to love it AND I have enough of it growing out in my front yard for a lifetime. Also, since it was just me for lunch today and I wanted something a little lighter than pizza dough, I opted to build my pizza on a soft tortilla wrap and it was just the right personal size for me with one wedge leftover which I'm sure my husband will devour when he comes home from work later. The end result was a marvelous taste explosion for my taste buds.

Recipe:

Ingredients
One 10 inch round soft tortilla wrap
One ripe Bosc pear; cored and sliced in to thin slices
2 oz Crumbled Blue Cheese
One fresh sage leaf, finely chopped
3 slices of bacon; cooked and crumbled

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Cook bacon in a pan until well cooked; drain, set aside and crumble
3. Sprinkle some Blue Cheese on the tortilla wrap
4. Put a little of the fresh sage on top of the cheese
5. Place pear slices on top
6. Finish off with a little bit more of the Blue Cheese, remaining sage and bacon
7. Place on a cookie sheet and warm in the oven for about 10 minutes
8. Remove from oven and cut in to four wedges
9. Feel free to fold the finished pizza wedges in half for easier eating and enjoy!