Easiest Popovers and Mussels in White Wine Sauce

I don't know about you, but I'm a simple kind of girl. I can appreciate complex recipes, but there is something about putting together only a couple of ingredients and getting a flaky, warm, decadent  result.

Easiest Popover Recipe

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Optional Additions

• Rosemary
• Freshly grated cheddar ( or Parmesean / Havarti / cheese of your choice)  1/4 cup
• 1-2 tsp lemon or orange zest
• Cinnamon / sugar

Important: Make sure that the milk and the eggs are at room temperature.

• Combine ingredients until fully mixed

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees

• Butter the muffin or popover tin and fill to 2/3 for each popover

•  Bake for 45 min ( I start checking at 40 min, but make sure not to let too much heat out - it can ruin the popping of the popovers) 

I started making popovers instead of frites with my mussels because I love how the flaky dough sops up the delicious and easy to make sauce. Both recipes don't take very much time to make and are wonderful to enjoy together or separately.


Mussels in White Wine Sauce

• 2 lbs live mussels 
• 1 Tbs of unsalted butter
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 cup white wine ( I prefer something floral and dry ) 
• 2 cloves of garlic minced finely 
• 2 Tbs chives finely chopped
• a pinch of fresh ground black pepper
 

• Cleaning the mussels is important- I use a brillo pad or Tuffy to get them off. You want to make sure all the sand and excess fibers are off the side of the mussels.

• You want to make sure all mussels that you plan on cooking are closed and do not have a fishy smell - if it's open before cooking, toss it!

• Once the mussels are prepped, grab a large, wide bottomed pot. I prefer to use our dutch oven.

• Melt the butter and combine with olive oil, garlic,  and chives until the butter mixture is scented, but not browned. 

• Add the mussels and then the wine ( a sauv blanc that is crisp and dry is a nice choice - something mid range that has a nice flavor and that you wouldn't mind drinking )

• Close the lid as soon as you add the wine. You want the mussels to steam for about 2-6 minutes to avoid overcooking. It's important to start watching around the 3 min mark and only take them out when almost all of the mussels are open. If it looks like one is not going to open, toss it! 

• Sprinkle with black pepper and toss lightly before adding to bowls. Make sure to add broth to the mussels and serve with popovers! Since mussels are naturally salty you probably won't have to add salt, but as with everything, season to your taste. I reserve some fresh chives to sprinkle on top!