Passover Popovers

I’m thankful that there are lots of options for delicious kosher food not just for the Passover Seder, but for all eight days of the holiday. Everything from homemade matzo ball soup to meaty brisket and roast chicken are highlights of the holiday dinner, and these Passover popovers fit right there with them.

Many classic Passover recipes are fantastic, but because you must remain kosher for Passover, there’s a long list of dietary rules to adhere to according to Jewish law, and that limits what you can and can’t eat. Leavened food is one of the things you can’t eat during Passover, so these popovers are made from matzo meal instead of flour, plus just a few other ingredients.

Like traditional popovers, you can enjoy these light and fluffy Passover popovers any time of year, any time of day.

Ingredients

• Matzo meal: Matzo meal is ground-up matzo, and the most finely ground is matzo cake meal, which is used in this recipe. It’s that very fine texture that helps make these light and fluffy popovers. You can also use matzo meal for matzo balls in matzo ball soup.
• Safflower oil: Safflower oil is one of the best oils for frying, and here it serves as the fat for the popovers.
• Eggs: Eggs are an important food in the kosher for Passover canon. In this recipe, eggs act as a binder and help the popovers rise. Room-temperature eggs are best for making these (and any) popovers.

Directions

Step 1: Make the matzo meal base

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Generously grease 12 muffin cups. In a large saucepan, bring the water, oil and salt to a rolling boil. Add the matzo cake meal all at once, and beat until blended. Remove from heat, and let the batter stand for five minutes.

Step 2: Blend in the eggs

Transfer the matzo mixture to a blender. Add two eggs, and cover the blender, then process until blended. Continue adding eggs, one at a time, and processing until incorporated. Process until the mixture is smooth, about two minutes longer.

Editor’s Tip: It’s important to bake with room-temperature eggs because they blend more easily into the other ingredients and add volume, which is particularly important for popovers.

Step 3: Bake the popovers

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Fill the prepared muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake until the popovers puff up and get very firm and golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes. Turn off the oven but do not open the oven door! Leave popovers in the oven for 10 minutes. Immediately remove popovers from the pan to a wire rack. Serve hot.

How to Store Passover Popovers

These popovers are best eaten fresh from the oven, but you can store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.

Passover Popover Tips

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Why didn’t my popovers puff up?

The secret to puffy popovers lies in the batter. It should be thin, so take special care not to overmix it. The key is to have a wet batter that will steam up in the hot oven, causing a good rise in the dough. Make sure your oven is fully heated to 450°—the initial blast of hot air goes a long way toward jump-starting the puffing. Lastly, keep your oven door closed during the entire baking process!

What can I serve with popovers?

What can’t you serve with popovers is the question! These should be one of the traditional Jewish foods everyone should learn to cook. If you’re enjoying these popovers for the Passover Seder, make sure you serve them with kosher foods that follow Passover restrictions.