Lifestyle
Fashion Café: Popovers & Strawberry Butter
The perennial popover has been an icon of Neiman Marcus restaurants since it was first served in the mid 1950s. The crisp, airy muffin is “crunchy on the outside and soft and buttery on the inside,” says NM executive chef Kevin Garvin. This savory side dish is traditionally served with strawberry butter, and Garvin attests this delicious combination as the reason many customers come to NM restaurants.
The Zodiac, Neiman Marcus’ first restaurant, debuted in the Dallas flagship store in 1953. “It was a sensation, combining the indulgences of great shopping with satisfying dining,” says Garvin. Over the years, the initial director of restaurants, the renowned Helen Corbitt, elevated the culinary stature of the Neiman Marcus food operation from “comforting to delicious to elegant and iconic.” Since then, Garvin has continued to build on this foundation and enhance the NM reputation for superb food and recipes.
Garvin’s inspiration for new menu items comes from travel and dining out. “The best advice came from Stanley Marcus when he said, “Don’t ever create something for the sake of just creating… make something that people want to buy.’” This is one of the reasons food at Neiman Marcus has a rich and delicious history.
The timeless popover recipe is made daily, starting at 8am, at all NM restaurants. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of popovers at the NM flagship kitchen.
NM pastry chef measures the temperature of the milk.
The pre-prepared dry batter is poured into the mixer.
The milk is added to the batter and mixed.
The batter is poured into a nonstick cast iron popover pan.
After several minutes in a securely shut oven, the popovers rise to perfection.
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 over 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:
1 pound unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 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.
These and more recipes are found in the “Neiman Marcus Cookbook” available at NM restaurants.
Cookbook by Kevin Garvin. This depicts Monkey Bread, another NM fave.
To find the NM restaurant nearest you, see the directory of NM stores.
