Popovers for brunch

Popovers are something of an American institution but are not so well known over here. We might think of them as Yorkshire puddings (which they technically are I suppose!) but in America they are eaten either as a sweet treat with butter and jam or for brunch as part of a cooked breakfast. The oldest known reference to a popover comes from 1850 and the earliest recipe appeared in a book called Practical Cooking by M. N. Henderson in 1876.

Today I treated our guests to popovers for breakfast, split and filled with creamed spinach and served with crispy smoked bacon and fried eggs.

 

I ordered the popover pan from American as they are very difficult to find in the UK. It worked brilliantly and it's non-stick.

 

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius. My popover recipe involves whisking 1 1/2 cups of plain flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups of milk, whisking all the time. The batter will be a bit lumpy but that's fine. Then slowly whisk in 3 large eggs. I do all of this in a big measuring jug so I can then pour the batter into each of the popover cups. Fill them just over half way. The great thing is the the pan does not need to be preheated. Cook the popovers for about 30 minutes but remember they rise a lot so make sure you allow them room to expand in the oven. Cool for a minute when cooked then remove from the pan, slice with a serrated knife and fill with creamed spinach. They can of course be served with sweet fillings too or for afternoon tea, which I have yet to try.

Here's one popover filled with creamed spinach, served with crispy bacon and a fried egg. Delicious!

These local eggs come from rare breeds so they are all different colours. They look so pretty that I like to have them out on show.

End of summer colour

As an unusually dry and sunny UK summer abruptly gives way to a typically cold and wet autumn, the flowers still in bloom (some of which are pictured below) offer a welcome reminder of warm, bright days.         

Sedum spectabile, a beautiful autumn flowerer whose spent heads have winter interest too.    

Bedding pelargonium in vibrant pink.   

Rhodochiton, a very curious and allegedly perennial climber purchased appropriately enough at the Unusual Plants Fair at the Gilbert White house in Selbourne in early summer.   Slow to flower, this plant is now covered in these strange dangling flowers, seen here at various stages of development.  They have the given the plant two common names - the one I prefer is 'Purple Bells'!   

A pelargonium adored by Victorian gardeners for its clashing colours, Mrs Pollock is now quite hard to come by.  I love its tri-color foliage and vintage garden feel, but I've found it to be quite a fussy madam and not very generous when it comes to flowers!  

Another Victorian garden favourite and staunchly reliable, the perennial Gaillardia flowers relentlessly, providing pollen for bees and colour for the vase all summer long.  This is a two year old plant.  

Yet another Victorian favourite, calceolaria integrifolia, the 'slipper flower'.  This yellow perennial brightly marks the entrance to the garden and provides delicate cut flowers for smaller vases.        

 Gypsophila, for accentuating delicate cut flower displays. 

A cheery summer pansy mix which has brightened this permanently shaded corner of the garden all summer long! 

 

The climbing rose Danse de Feu usually gives two displays of its deep red flowers, one in June and one in August, as here.  

This shrub rose is breathtakingly beautiful in flower - but I'm afraid I can't remember its name!  If you know it and you can post here, I'd really appreciate being reintroduced!   

Up-cycling Part 1: The Linen Cupboard

 Several pieces of furniture in our home started out life as something else but have now been up-cycled to take on a new function or identity. One of our guest rooms is decorated in a duck egg blue colour and this cabinet (below) graces one corner of the room. It's a Queen Anne style cabinet, probably dating from the early 1900s and used to be used as a display cabinet in a relative's lounge. It was a dark wood piece of furniture but as it is not especially valuable and was not in keeping with the style of its new home it was quickly transformed. An undercoat was applied first and then this beautiful vintage duck egg blue paint was applied on top. The handle was also replaced. It is now used as a linen cupboard and a place to store and display some other household items, such as my collection of vases.

   

The French wine box underneath is used to store a mixture of cutlery, wrapped carefully in linen and tied together.

There is a surprising amount of space for storage here in what is a relatively small piece of furniture

I have quite a collection of table linen, napkins and cocktail napkins which are stored here in sets. I thought it would also be quite nice to display my sets of napkin rings by Wedgwood and William Yeoward rather that keeping them in a box. On the top shelf is a bottle of linen spray by Jo Malone which has a wonderful citrus aroma and it is great sprayed lightly on napkins before laying the table. It adds a little touch of luxury and a beautiful fragrance when they are in use.

I always keep a spare scented candle in the cabinet to keep everything smelling fresh. The one on the middle shelf is black lily by True Grace.

The vases are a mixture of antique and contemporary. I love having different shaped vases as I always have fresh flowers somewhere in the house and each one suits a different type of arrangement. I think they look pretty on display and it makes choosing the right one much easier! The little bud vases on the middle shelf look lovely at each place setting on a dinner table, holding a single rose stem.

Here's a view inside the cabinet. Although these are all useful objects they look pretty when organised and displayed neatly.

These French wine boxes are easy to find on-line and are useful for a whole range of decorative storage purposes.