Bacon Parmesan Popovers

James came home on Friday. He walked into the kitchen and he saw Mama — in the wheelchair, in the pearl earrings, in the silence that is her mode now — and his face did the thing that faces do when they see something they were told about but were not prepared for: it broke. The breaking was brief. He composed himself. He knelt beside Mama and took her hand and said, "Hi, Grandma. It's James." And Mama's hand squeezed, and the squeezing was the recognition, and James held the squeeze and did not let go for ten minutes, and the ten minutes were the visit, the communion, the everything.

He and I sat on the piazza that evening and talked — the long, honest talk of a mother and a son who are facing something together and who need the facing to be shared, because the shared facing is the halving of the weight, and the weight is too heavy for one person but manageable for two. He said, "How long?" I said, "Dr. Okonkwo says months. Maybe a year. Maybe less." He said, "I'll come every weekend." The promise was the son. The son was the promise. And the promise was the showing up, which is the family trait, which is the love.

Elise came with James. She sat with Mama for an hour — holding her hand, talking softly, the way she talked at Thanksgiving two years ago, the way she talks to patients (she is in her first year of medical school now, the empathy she brought to our table now being refined into a professional skill). The sitting was the care. The care was the Elise I suspected she was and that I now know she is: a woman who shows up.

I made James's shrimp and grits — his version, with the lemon — because the making of his dish is the welcoming, and the welcoming is the comfort, and the comfort is the food that says: you are home, and home is where the hard things are shared and the sharing makes them bearable.

Shrimp and grits was James’s dinner—his version, with the lemon—and while the grits were resting and the shrimp were in the pan, I put these popovers in the oven, because a welcome that is only one dish is not yet finished being a welcome. They came out the way popovers always do when you trust the heat and do not open the door: tall and crisp and pulling apart in steam, the bacon and the parmesan layered into every bite the way comfort gets layered into a meal you cook for someone you have been missing. James ate two standing at the counter before we ever sat down, and the standing and the eating were themselves the homecoming.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

3 strips thick-cut bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup whole milk, room temperature
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

Preheat and prep the pan. Place a 6-cup popover pan or a standard muffin tin in the oven and preheat to 425°F. Letting the pan heat with the oven is what gives the popovers their lift and their crisp bottom crust.
Make the batter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, and melted butter until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until just combined—a few small lumps are fine. Do not overbeat. Fold in all but 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan and the crumbled bacon.
Grease the hot pan. Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven. Working quickly, brush each cup generously with butter. The butter should sizzle on contact—that is the sound you want.
Fill and top. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Sprinkle the reserved 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the tops. Add chives if using.
Bake without opening the oven. Return the pan to the oven and bake at 425°F for 20 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for an additional 15 minutes, until the popovers are deep golden brown and feel hollow when tapped. Opening the oven during baking will cause them to collapse.
Serve immediately. Remove the popovers from the pan right away. Pierce the side of each one with a sharp knife to release steam, which keeps them crisp rather than soggy. Serve hot.

Nutrition (per serving)

Bacon Parmesan Popovers — The Welcome That Lives in the Oven