By The call with Susan Park lasted ninety minutes. I expected to be pitched to; instead she mostly asked questions — about the workshops, about the YouTube channel, about why I cook, about what I'd want someone to take away from a book with my name on it. She's clearly done her research. She'd watched a significant number of my videos and could quote specific things I'd said, which was both flattering and slightly unnerving.
She wants to see a proposal. She explained the process: proposal leads to acquisition conversations leads to a contract leads to an actual book, a process that takes a year or more from proposal to publication. She said, "You don't have to decide today whether you want to write a book. But I think you do. I think you've been writing it for years and just haven't organized it yet."
I hung up and sat in the kitchen for thirty minutes without doing anything. Then I got a piece of paper and wrote at the top: What is the book about? And I wrote for an hour and filled three pages and by the end I knew she was right. I'd been writing it for years.
I haven't said yes yet. But the paper is covered in words that feel true and the shape of something is visible in them. I told Gary. He looked at me for a long moment and said, "This is what comes next." I asked him what made him so sure. He said, "Because I know you and I've been watching you get here without knowing that's where you were going."
I made sourdough this weekend. Three loaves. Slow, patient, the dough doing its work. Some things you can't rush. I'm learning to let those things be the things they are.
I baked sourdough that weekend because I needed to do something that asked me to be patient — something that would work whether or not I had answers yet. But the morning after my call with Susan, before the loaves were ready, I made popovers. They’re quick and honest: you mix the batter, you pour it in, you trust the heat to do what it’s going to do. There’s a moment in the oven when they either rise or they don’t, and you can’t force it either way. That felt about right for where I was standing.
Easy Popovers
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the pan
Instructions
- Preheat and prep. Place a 6-cup popover pan or standard muffin tin in the oven and preheat to 425°F. Letting the pan heat in the oven is key to getting a good rise.
- Make the batter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until well combined and slightly frothy, about 1 minute. Add the flour and salt and whisk until just smooth — a few small lumps are fine. Stir in the melted butter. Do not overmix.
- Rest the batter. Let the batter rest at room temperature for 10 minutes while the oven finishes preheating. This helps the popovers rise more evenly.
- Fill the pan. Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven and grease each cup generously with butter. Pour the batter evenly into the cups, filling each about 3/4 full.
- Bake without opening the door. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes at 425°F. Without opening the oven, reduce heat to 350°F and continue baking for 12–15 minutes more, until the popovers are deep golden brown and feel hollow when tapped.
- Serve immediately. Remove from the oven and pierce the side of each popover with a small knife to release steam. Serve right away with butter, jam, or alongside soup. Popovers deflate quickly — they’re best eaten warm from the pan.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 155 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 230mg