Popovers

These little guys are so light and airy that it's hard not to eat all of them. They're great served with a roast beef and a nice rich gravy poured right in the middle. The trick to great popovers is using bread flour.
1 cup bread flour
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup whole or non-fat milk, warmed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or oil, melted
3 large eggs
2 to 3 teaspoons vegetable shortening
Serving suggestions: Butter and jam
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, and eggs. Make a well in the flour, pour in the milk mixture, and whisk to make a smooth batter. Set batter aside for 10 minutes.

Heat a non-stick or well-seasoned 6-cup popover pan in the oven for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and brush the inside of the cups with the shortening. Ladle the batter into the cups and bake for 20 minutes, without opening the oven. (Do not open the oven during baking.)

Lower the heat to 350 degrees F. and continue to bake the popovers for 20 minutes, at this point they will be golden brown. Right after removing the popovers from the oven, poke each one with a paring knife to release steam. Turn popovers from the pan and serve immediately with butter and jam.