Today was Pie day. All over Instagram, there were beautiful posts of  delectable pies.  I wish I could make pie but I am a little bit challenged in the baking department. Saira, my eldest daughter has asthma and eczema so we try to stay away from butter & most dairy products. Which is why when I do bake, I try to find alternatives. We use olive oil a lot.  I sometimes feed her yogurt, creme fraiche and ghee because these foods are fermented, easier to digest and the probiotics are good for gut health.

Also, why do they say “it’s as easy as making pie?”. In my opinion, making pie requires a lot of patience. It is time-consuming.  I am always impressed with bakers and their persistence at rolling dough, chilling, waiting etc. Since my patience runs a little thin in this area, I baked popovers today.

These popovers are adapted from the book “My Paris Kitchen”, written by David Lebovitz.  He calls them Panisse Puffs in his book, which makes it sound so fancy yet these are so simple to make. You throw everything into a blender and voila!  I love these popovers because they are made with chickpea flour, making them a great gluten free option and much healthier to eat. I’ve made them with a non-dairy milk here but you can make them with whole milk also. Keep in mind using a non-dairy milk will definitely not make the popovers rise as much but they will still taste good. I also substituted oil instead of butter. You could use melted ghee instead. The tiny pinch of ground cumin really elevates this dish and brings out the flavor of the chickpea, making these popovers shine. Easier than making pie and just as good.

Chickpea Popovers

Adapted from David Leibovitz,  “My Paris Kitchen”

Free from: dairy, tree nuts, peanut, sesame, soy

Serves 6

• 2/3 c chickpea flour
• 1/3 all purpose flour
• 1 cup rice milk (or whole milk)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or melted ghee, plus more for brushing the mold
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• Pinch of cayenne( optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 F. With the oven rack in the middle position, place a popover pan in the oven and have a baking sheet ready.

Combine all the ingredients in a blender until completely smooth. Remove the popover mold from the oven ( be careful it is hot) and set it on the baking sheet. Brush the insides of the popover molds lavishly with oil.

Quickly divide the batter among the molds, put them in the oven, then decrease the oven temperature to 400 F and bake for 35 minutes, until puffed and brown. Serve immediately while warm. They will deflate a bit as they cool. Serve with soup or as a side to any meal.