Recipe: Lemon Pepper Popovers

LEMON PEPPER POPOVERS

"These delicious popovers take advantage of lemon's strong affinity with freshly ground black pepper. They rise best in baked in deep molds in a very hot oven."

1 cup unbleached white flour
1 cup fat free milk, room temperature
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp coarsely ground or cracked black pepper
2 tsp freshly grated lemon rind*
3 egg whites, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease popover molds or muffin cups with vegetable oil spray or a little olive oil.

Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and gradually whisk in the milk. Add the remaining ingredients, whisking just to mix. The mixture should be the consistency of heavy cream. If necessary, add more milk.

Fill each prepared mold 1/2 full.

Bake for 15 minutes without opening the door. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F (do not remove the popovers) and continue baking for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the popovers are browned. Unmold and serve at once.

*One of the best ways to grate lemon peel is to remove the zest in strips using a vegetable peeler, then grind it to a powder in a spice mill.

Makes 6-8 large popovers
Source: High-Flavor Low-Fat Cooking by Stephen Raichlen