Whipped Pumpkin Spiced Butter and Popovers

"In October any wonderful unexpected thing might be possible."  ~ E.G. Speare

I've been meaning to tell you about this whipped pumpkin butter all week.  Seriously.  But either something else came up or I got sidetracked with outdoor activities like cleaning eaves (yuck) and raking leaves (stop already) and putting my garden to bed (yes Mom, I emptied the rain barrels and drained the garden hose) or good friends from out of town came to visit so we stayed out a bit too late drinking wine and eating pasta.  And then some days I just didn't feel like turning my computer on. You get those too?  That's when all I want is a blanket and the remote and chocolate.  Always chocolate.  But here I am on a quiet Saturday night in mid-October, with a mug of tea (white tea with sage and cinnamon) and my undivided attention aimed at telling you all about this luscious spread you'll soon want to slather on every single carbohydrate in your house.   

Pumpkin spice.  It's the season.  And this little concoction is sure to add a little magic to your breakfast table.  All I did what whip room temp butter until it was soft and creamy.  Then I added in pumpkin purée, powdered sugar and all of those spices that smell like fall.  That's it.  Since I've had it around the house, I've spread it on fresh biscuits, toast, and my favourite - popovers.  If you haven't had a popover, oh you are in for a treat.  Made with just eggs, milk, flour and a little bit of butter, they are wondrous golden orbs of delight.  And the perfect vessel for soaking up pumpkin butter.  Easy to make too - just use your blender to whip up the batter, then pour it into preheated muffin tin.  The high heat and eggs will make them bake up to lofty heights - just be sure to keep the oven door closed while they bake, otherwise you'll have sad, fallen globs of eggy mass.  And you don't want that.  So, two recipes for you tonight; both of them work well together or independently.  The popovers are gone (because I have no self-control) but I think the pumpkin butter would be fabulous on waffles, pancakes, crépes, FRENCH TOAST, oh gosh, you name the carb, then slather this stuff on it.  Happy mid-October!

Whipped Pumpkin Spiced Butter

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup pumpkin purée (I made my own, but canned is fine)

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cloves

generous pinch of flaky salt

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until soft and creamy, about 1 minute.  Scrape the sides and add the rest of the ingredients.  Beat on low until incorporated, then increase speed to medium high and beat for about 2 - 3 minutes until the butter is light and fluffy, scraping down the sides a few times.  Spoor into a serving dish and serve with warm popovers or other favourite breads.  Keeps in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  

Popovers

You are supposed to use melted butter in this recipe, but oh the horror, I ran out of butter ( I know how does that happen?) and used about 1 1/2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 1/2 tbsp of butter.  My popovers turned out great, but I'm just listing butter in the ingredients.  

1 cup whole milk

2 large eggs

3 tbsp butter, melted and divided

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

In a blender, blend the milk, eggs, and 1 tbsp of melted butter until completely smooth.  Add the flour and salt and blend until frothy.  Scrape the sides of blender to make sure all flour incorporated.  Blend again.  

Heat oven to 450*F.  Put muffin tin in hot oven and heat for 2 minutes.  Remove from oven and drizzle remaining melted butter into each muffin cup.  Blitz the batter in the blender for about 10 seconds, then pour evenly into each muffin cup.  You want to fill them so they are just over half full.  Place the muffin tin on a baking sheet and place in oven.  Bake for 15 minutes, then turn heat down to 350*F and bake for another 15 minutes. Do not open oven until popovers have baked for 30 minutes total.  Finished popovers will be golden and feel dry to the touch.  Remove from oven and immediately place each popover on a cooling rack and with a sharp knife, make a small slit in the bottom so steam can escape.  Eat while warm.  If you manage to have leftovers, warm them in a low oven (200*F) for a few minutes.  Store covered at room temperature.  Recipe adapted from The Kitchn.