Fresh, doughy bread. Warm pasta. Muffins. Popovers. Cookies.
Almost exactly 48 hours after my second D&C, my family and I had reservations for dinner in the city. It was supposed to be my mom’s celebratory birthday dinner.
I miscarried on my mom’s birthday and spent the next day decorating our house and making birthday signs with Chase to hang on our front door to welcome my mom in town. It was a distraction and it was much-needed.
My parents and Ryan repeatedly asked me whether or not I wanted to cancel our dinner plans. I said no. The first time I said no, I didn’t mean it. But by the third no, I meant it. I wanted to celebrate my mom and I wanted to get out of our house. I wanted a glass of wine and I wanted distraction. I wanted to be around random people who knew nothing about the pain I felt and feel a little normal again. Whatever that meant.
We arrived at BLT Steak, a gorgeous restaurant with a southern flare located in the heart of Uptown.
I ordered a much-needed glass of wine and perused the menu. Give me the carbs. All of them.
And they did.
Our meal began with BLT Steak’s famous popovers, huge pillowy rolls of cheesy bread. Airy and savory and melt-in-your mouth good. Just what my empty stomach and my hurting heart needed.
The popovers were delivered to our table with a mini recipe card detailing step-by-step directions so you could recreate the cheesy rolls at home.
Thinking about making popovers sounded a lot more appealing than spending the next day crying again and even though the day included tears, it also included baking. Baking, along with reading, is something that brings me joy and relaxes me, especially during hard times.
So I baked.
I made three versions of these popovers until I found one I felt was worthy of sharing. (Using whole wheat flour instead of regular flour proved more challenging than I anticipated.) Once I had a winning recipe, I took pictures of the popovers because it made me feel a little more like myself again as I snapped away. And then I ate three popovers in a row.
After my third popover recipe attempt, I found myself biting into whole wheat popovers that were wonderful and soft and the perfect vehicle for a slightly sweet buttery berry spread made with fresh organic strawberries and softened butter.
Whole Wheat Popovers with Berry Butter
Recipe inspired by BLT Steak’s Popovers
Makes 6 popovers
Ingredients
For the popovers:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup whole milk, warmed
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup grated Havarti cheese
- 3 tablespoons softened butter
For the berry butter:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 5 whole strawberries, smashed
- 1 tablespoon honey
Directions
For the popovers:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Warm the muffin tin in the oven while you prepare the ingredients.
- Place eggs in a cup of hot water for 10 minutes to bring them to room temperature.
- Warm whole milk so it’s not too hot (you don’t want the eggs to begin cooking). Approximately 45 seconds in the microwave should work well.
- Blend eggs and milk together in a blender. Add flour, salt and 1 tablespoon of softened butter and blend again.
- Remove muffin tin from the oven and grease the muffin cups with the remaining two tablespoons of butter.
- Pour batter into muffin tin (approximately 2/3 full) and use alternate muffin cups so they don’t puff up into each other.
- Sprinkle cheese on top of each muffin cup.
- Bake for 20 minutes. (Try hard not to open the oven to prevent them from falling.)
- Vent the muffins with a knife to prevent them from falling. Remove from the muffin cups, slice in half and top with softened berry butter.
For the berry butter:
- Combine softened butter, smashed strawberries and honey in a small bowl.
- Lightly beat ingredients together until a thick, fluffy berry butter forms.
If you decide to make these popovers – whether you’re in a carb-loving (needing?) phase like me or want a warm and comforting treat to enjoy with your dinner – I hope you love them.
And don’t forget to top them with the softened berry butter. It’s important. And it’s delicious.
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
I am so sorry for your loss and I can’t even imagine what you must be going through, but thank you for sharing your story. I think it’s important that women be able to talk about their experiences if they want to and I’m sure you’re providing courage for many other women. On a lighter note, have you ever tried baking with WHITE WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR? it’s lighter and fluffier than traditional whole wheat and bakes much more like AP flour. It can be a little harder to find but it’s worth it. I can swap it for regular flour and no one can tell the difference in muffin and cookie recipes. It’s a little denser than AP flour, so I wouldn’t use it for cake or anything but it works so, so well for most other things.
I think that probably would’ve made a huge difference in this recipe! Thankfully I got it to work with whole wheat but it took a decent amount of trial and error. I’ll definitely look for white whole wheat flour next time I’m at the grocery store. Sounds like a great swap solution. Thanks for sharing!
Popovers are so delicious it was so underrated! The berry butter sound out of this world. Sometimes we just need to feed our heart and our soul.
Gosh, its been YEARS since I’ve had a popover! Love how thick and bright the berry butter is!
Hi Julie! Do you think I could make these with all purpose gluten free flour? I’d love to try them!
I was going to ask the same, because gf baking is so hard. I may give them a whirl this weekend.
I need the berry butter in my life! I have fresh strawberries at home that I will be trying this on ASAP!
Your strength is amazing! Thank you for sharing your story. It has helped my sister see that her feelings are (for lack of a better term) “normal”. As we begin trying for our second I think about the possibility of miscarriage all the time and I just don’t think I’d be strong enough to handle one, much less two.
I wish I didn’t skip breakfast this morning lol…my mouth is watering over these pictures and your descriptions of the popovers!
You are so strong Julie. I know that this post, and the others about your miscarriage, will prove helpful to so many women going through the same thing. I’m glad you’re sharing how you’re coping, it’s going to help so many people. Now, I need to go make this butter!
That berry butter looks amazing! Glad you are giving yourself grace to do whatever helps in the healing process.
I don’t know which one of these I want to make more! They both look delicious. What do you mean by vent with a knife though? I’ve never made a popover before.
Baking and spending time in the kitchen is a great distraction. How cool the restaurant shares the recipe, I love that! I don’t think I’ve ever had a popover, totally need to try these!
Distraction is the best medicine..and popovers….my mom makes those..YUM. Love you.
Oh my goodness these look so good!
Hi Julie, long time reader. Just wanted to say I appreciate you sharing your story with us and modifying the tone of your blog to reflect your real life. I often feel like my disposition is greatly impacted by the struggles in my life and it’s nice to see someone modeling feeling your feelings. I’m thinking of you.
Those popover look delicious. But the strawberry butter looks amazing. I think I’m going to try making both of these Saturday morning for breakfast.
You had me at berry butter, and popovers are always so good!
These look so delicious and I’m glad that baking them was a bit therapeutic for you too. Thank you for sharing all of your real life with us. I was so saddened and sorry to hear about your loss last week. Not sure if you have already seen this, but in your comfort-food-needing stage, you should check out Pinch of Yum’s feeding a broken heart series (if you haven’t seen it yet – prepare yourself for some tears, but also some amazing words and delicious recipes). http://pinchofyum.com/feeding-broken-heart
Thinking of you, Ryan, and Chase.
I actually met Lindsay last summer through a blog trip and began following her blog shortly after. I cried hard when I read about the loss of Afton and have been following her journey. Her incredible writing brings me to tears every time.
I know the feeling of needing a distraction, it’s nice how work can sometime bring us back to ourselves. Question – why are they popovers and not muffins? Am I missing something? Keep in mind I’ve never actually had a popover so I’m not sure what they entail ha ha
They’re savory and almost hollow in the middle (much more airy) and the batter is much more eggy.
These look delicious, friend! I’m glad you were able to get OUT of the house and enjoy that glass of wine. I know it was a much needed distraction and treat. I hope you’re having a better day today!
Still sending you love, prayers and happy vibes as you continue to walk through your loss. I hope those popovers filled your belly and your heart with warmth because that berry butter looks amaaaaaazing.
Definite comfort in carbs all the way! My most comforting dish is a big bowl of pasta with lots of veggies and a big piece of garlic bread on the side. Carbs with carbs forever! <3 Hoping that you are taking the time you need. Sending you lots of love!
I love the rawness/realness of this post. Thank you, Julie. The love that pours into your posts continues to amaze me.
Thank you for this comment, Kim. I appreciate it very much. <3
Maybe I live under a rock, but I’ve never heard of popovers before! These sound fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your continuous honesty and openness in sharing about experiencing a miscarriage. It changes everything and some days, just breathing feels impossible. Unfortunately it’s still something that’s not often talked about or if it is, it’s not recognized for how painful it truly is. I suffered a miscarriage last year during my first semester of grad school and none of my teachers or classmates knew I was pregnant or what I was going through. I sat through classes holding back tears and turned in assignments without even knowing what I was writing. Anyway, I’m rambling now but just wanted to say thank you for sharing and that I’m so so sorry for your loss. I’ll be praying for a rainbow for you and Ryan <3
Thank you so much, Kaci. I am so sorry for your loss as well. And I totally relate to what you said about not even know what you were writing… I feel like I’ve had conversations on the phone or with acquaintances who don’t know what’s going on in my life that felt like a blur and when I walked away, I felt almost disconnected from the conversation and wondered what I was even saying when we were talking. Thank you for reaching out to me and sharing your experience. <3
OMG… those look sooooo good!
ohhhh my gosh i can’t even believe how good these sound!! havarti is my absolute favorite cheese, and paired with strawberry it sounds so perfect for summer!! might have to make these soon, especially since you can do it in a muffin tin!
I have never heard of popovers before but these look amazing, what an inspiration to take strength to go out when you could have so easily stayed in and then create a recipe from your experience <3 100% going to give these a try thanks for sharing lovely xx
https://www.bloglovin.com/blogs/isobelle-jane-8529623
I am so sorry for the hurt that you are feeling right now Julie. I just wanted to say that you have a real gift for writing about it in a way that is honest and beautiful and makes me feel like I can better understand what you and others are going through. I know that you are helping so many people by sharing your pain here.
My mom makes a family favorite “popover” with roast and mash potatoes! The kids in my family always loved putting some meat and potatoes in the hollow part and making a savory sandwich with them. I’ve never had a sweet-filled one, but it looks delicious!
Those popovers look delicious! I may need to start baking – I’m notoriously awful at all things cooking…it’s embarrassing how many times I have started fires in the kitchen! And they are somewhat healthy too 🙂
Hope you’re having a great day, Julie!
These look amazing!! Now an extra challenge for innovative chefs out there- how to make a gluten free popover?!
Still sending lots of prayers and well wishes your way
these look amazing. thanks for sharing the recipe. xo
I so admire your honesty and strength! Keep taking care of yourself. I also bake when I am sad or stressed, it always makes me feel better. These look amazing.
BLT steak has THE best popovers, and you have a beautiful way with words. Sending lots of love, my friend. xo
Still sending prayers your way! I wrote to you on Instagram the day you shared that you miscarried because it also happened to be the day I got home from my d&c ( @kla_nicole_). I’m navigating through the emotions the same way you describe so I want to thank you for sharing your journey. It still helps to know I’m not alone and that it’s also normal to cry and feel so awful still since this was my first pregnancy and miscarriage all in one. It also doesn’t help that I’m a labor and delivery nurse as well and coming back to work has proven difficult for me emotionally. So thank you again so much and sending love your way. ???
OMG. You actually are my hero. These popovers are probably the best bread you can get at a restaurant anywhere, second to the pumpernickle at Cheesecake Factory and the crusty bread at this chain of tapas restaurants called Barcelona. THANK YOU FOR THIS RECIPE! <3
Also, does BLT serve berry butter with their popovers? I don’t recall…
Carbs and getting out of the house are both good things for the soul. There are a few restaurants in SF where a bread-basket man delivers the warm popover before the meal. He is an amazing man! These look great, Julie! I bet that day of baking was at least somewhat therapeutic! 🙂 Hugs and love!
YUM-E! Wow those look delicious. Like, gotta-make-em-right-now delicious. Thanks for developing this recipe (I love your recipes so much.)
I love me some carbs, and I do think they help give you that hit of serotonin when you’re grieving or going through a rough time. And reading has helped me TREMENDOUSLY during some really difficult moments. I’m glad you have things you can turn to and family to be surrounded by to get you through this.
Something that helped me to know: from a personal experience I know that a surge in estrodial (estrogen) followed by a decrease in estrogen can actually make you depressed. I’ve had my estrogen dip dramatically before and I felt UBER depressed all of a sudden (and I’m usually a more upbeat person). So besides the very real grief you’re going through, know that some of the worst of this grief will get better as your hormone levels even out. I’m just mentioning it because it was helpful for ME to know that in my own situation, so I didn’t have to worry that it would be unending. Like having a temp job you don’t like – if you know it’s going to end eventually, it’s much more bearable, if that makes sense. It also helped me know that what I was going through was very physiologically rational, and not only something I had to “muster through” with herculean mental strength.
Hang in there, sweet pea. One day at a time. You’re doing a great job taking care of yourself and asking for help when you need it, and I’m glad you’ve had moments of feeling more like yourself again. Cheers to more of them. <3
Wow, those popovers look amazing! I love baking but have never tried popovers – you’ve inspired me!
<3
i am SO SORRY for the pain you are going through. i know that nothing i can say or ANYONE can say will make it feel better right now. you are so strong! i truly admire that!
these look AMAZING. i kinda forgot about popovers..i haven’t had them in years!
I can just eat that butter!
I love restaurants that serve the popovers! We recently had them at David Burke’s Prime – so good! now I want to make them at home. wishing you only good things xoxox
homemade berry butter is my absolute f a v o r i t e!! ♥
Carbs heal, I am convinced! So does sugar. This berry butter sounds so good! <3 hope you are hanging in there.
you truly have a beautiful way with words. I am sending lots of love and carbs! xo
Yum!! These look delicious 🙂 Thinking about you and praying you.
Sorry you’re aching. With my d&c my sister came over and we cried, we laughed, and we ate ice cream. Comfort food is the best comfort when enjoyed with those who love us and comfort us too. Happy Birthday to your loved ones!
On another note- loved, loved, devoured and LOVEd this recipe. I put some strawberry butter on my oatmeal (pumped up with egg that I learned from your site!) and it was heavenly! Then I made popovers for supper- and more butter of course! They turned out perfectly and so easy to make! I was so proud! Yum! Thanks!
Thank you, Heather. And thank you for make this recipe and for taking the time to report back and let me know you enjoyed it. I’m so glad to hear it!
Hi Julie, I am so sorry for your loss and the heartache you must be feeling. I’m glad your family was around to serve as your comfort and these popovers look like they also really help…they look delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe!! I am in Charlotte as well and have never been to that restaurant…I think I am going to have to try it out soon! Sending you love!
At least this carb-comfort is healthy! Thanks for the delicious recipe! I hope you’re doing well with everything.
Since I always look forward to and enjoy your TILF posts, I figured today maybe MINE would bring YOU some joy. So here are a few things I’m loving this week:
1. Fresh Haircut – I got a haircut yesterday and woke up this morning feeling like a rock star! There’s something about a fresh cut and color that just puts a pep in my step and a smile on my face. No more lackluster locks for this girl!
2. Fall nail polish color – I switched out my summer hot pinks and reds for a deep shade of wine and I am loving it!! I picked Malaga Wine by OPI at the nail salon last night and I am so glad it did because the shade reminds me of hot cocoa, fire pits and sweater weather. LOVE IT!
3. Speaking of Fall – Bath and Body Works New Fall finds 25% off coupon made its way to my email box yesterday and I am so excited to check out their newest fall candles. The new Spiced Pumpkin Cider scent sounds heavenly!
4. Spin Class – After having my first baby in February, I’m just now getting back to the gym (yes, I did say “just now”…5 months later…eeek) and I am enjoying spin class more than ever! There is something about the loud music, the push to dig harder and the sweaty post-high that makes me feel so good. It’s been so long I had forgotten how great it is!
5. Burgoo – If you’ve never heard of burgoo then you are missing out! A fellow co-worker brought in a small batch for lunch on Wednesday and it was delicious! This hearty stoup (SOUP + STEW) was so tasty and now has me longing for a Sunday afternoon soup-making session.
Hope you have a wonderful, relaxing weekend!
xoxo
Aw I love this!!! Thank you for taking the time to share this with me. So fun to read and it makes me feel like I know you a little better. 🙂
I love BLT! I was there for restaurant week – oh my, it must have been back before I had kids! I need to get out more. Your pics are beautiful and your recipe sounds so easy. If you are still baking, may I suggest some pumpkin muffins? I thought it was too early for me for fall stuff, but this rainy weather has inspired me to perhaps start embracing fall and pumpkin flavors already. Carbs are absolutely healing, sending prayers your way.