Popovers with rosemary lemon butter

Last weekend was Halloween, and I had some friends over for a potluck and pumpkin carving. It was really exciting for me because it was the first time I had so many people in my little apartment, but I love having people over and a really wonderful time was had. For the potluck, I made a big pot of apricot rum punch, apple crisp, and popovers. Everyone loved the popovers and have been talking about them since, so I decided to post the recipe for them for all my friends and for everyone else who wants to make the people in their lives really happy. The recipe is from Mollie Katzen's Moosewood cookbook, my all time favorite. For those of you who are unfamiliar with popovers, they are these ridiculously eggy, bready balls of amazingness that puff up in the oven so they are full of air and delicate layers of custardy goodness. I remember Mirabelle's, a breakfast cafe in Burlington,VT, that served giant popovers that were split in half and filled with herbed scrambled eggs; that was one of the best breakfasts I had ever had. I made some rosemary lemon butter to go with the popovers and it was deeelish. I don't have a picture of the butter, but I'll tell you how to make it because it is way too easy and it can be used on anything.

For the popovers:
1. Preheat the oven to 375. Brush the insides of 12 muffin cups with melted butter (about 2 tablespoons of melted butter is sufficient).
2. Beat together in a medium sized bowl:

• 2, 3, or 4 eggs (I've always used 4 and I love them that way; the more eggs, the more custardy they are) 
• 1¼ cups milk

3. Add to the eggs and milk:

• 1¼ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon salt

4. Beat with a whisk until reasonably well blended. It's fine if the batter has a few lumps.
5. Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full. Bake for 35 minutes. Try to refrain from opening the oven during baking.
6. Remove the popovers from the pan immediately, and prick each with a fork to let the steam escape. This helps them hold their shape. Serve as soon as possible, either plain or with butter or jam.

Makes 12.

For the rosemary lemon butter:
1. Soften a stick of butter (leave out at room temperature for a couple hours).
2. Place the softened butter in a bowl. Add:

• ½ tablespoon of dried rosemary
• ¼ teaspoon of lemon zest
• ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder

3. Blend together well with a fork. Take out a piece of wax paper. Spoon the butter mixture onto the wax paper, and roll the wax paper so the butter takes the shape of a log. Twist the ends of the wax paper like a candy. Put the butter log into the fridge for an hour or so until it hardens again. Voila!