Name: Popovers with Gruyère
Ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour; 1 1/4 teaspoons salt; 2 cups whole milk; 4 large eggs; Nonstick vegetable oil spray; 1 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese (about 6 ounces)

Why it works: Milk and cheese are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 10% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 4,426 recipes. Both carry delta-dodecalactone, which smells sweet, creamy. The science ↓

Popovers with Gruyère

Oven350°F

Timeabout 40 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

Place one 12-cup muffin pan and one 6-cup muffin pan in oven.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl to blend.
Heat milk in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until very warm, about 125°F.

Make the batter

Whisk eggs in large bowl to blend.
Gradually whisk warm milk into eggs.
Gradually stir flour mixture into milk mixture just to blend (batter may still be slightly lumpy).

Fill and bake

Remove hot muffin pans from oven.
Spray pans with nonstick spray.
Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each of 16 muffin cups.
Top each with 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese.
Bake until puffed and deep brown, about 40 minutes.
Remove popovers from pan.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

914Calories

34 gProtein

37 gFat

108 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 6 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Milk + cheesetop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,426 recipes

Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
Flour + milktop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together78,219 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together106,462 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Milk + eggtop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together88,785 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).
Egg + cheesetop 28% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together6,253 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Eggs: Provide structure and richness, and their proteins set the puffed walls as the batter bakes.
All purpose flour: Forms the gluten network that traps steam and lets the popovers rise and hold their shape.
Whole milk: Supplies moisture that turns to steam in the oven, driving the rise and adding tenderness.
Gruyère cheese: Adds savory flavor and fat, and browns on top of the popovers as they bake.

The step that matters

Keep the pans hot when the batter goes in. The batter must hit very hot, greased pans so its surface sets quickly and steam pushes it up. Cold pans let the batter spread and rise poorly.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Popovers with Gruyère