The Taste of Childhood: Neiman Marcus’s Broth and Pop Overs
Growing up in Dallas, Texas, meant that our sacred place was none other than Neiman Marcus at Willow Bend. It is at this store that I fell in love with fashion and experiential retail. Luckily for me, I went to a middle school nearby, which always gave my mother and I an excuse to stop by the Mariposa cafe after my classes for a little bite and some window shopping. These memories mean the world to me and I can still taste the flavorful chicken broth and warm pop-overs that would begin any Neiman Marcus lunch.
When I cook for my family now, I long to share this nostalgia from my childhood and although I haven’t perfected it to a T, the smells in the kitchen always brings me back to those charmed afternoons with my mother.
Neiman Marcus Chicken Broth
Ingredients
5lbs mixed chicken parts
2 cups coarsely chopped celery
1 cup peeled and chopped carrots
2 cups onion wedges
3 garlic cloves
5 black peppercorns
1 dried bay leaf
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bunch fresh italian (flat-leaf) parsley, stems only
2 chicken bouillon cubes, crumbled
Directions
Rinse chicken pieces under cold running water and place in a heavy bottomed stock pot. Add all ingredients into the pot. Add about 1 gallon of cold water or enough to cover the ingredients by about 2 inches. Bring to boil, turn down the heat to medium-low, and let simmer for 3-4 hours. Skim surface occasionally to remove fat and impurities (I had to do this often with the extra oil that the chicken was producing). Partially cover the pot with a lid, but do not let the stock cook above a slow simmer; this ensures a clean stock. Pass the stock through a fine mesh strainer and into a clean saucepan and skim again. To serve, ladle the broth into warm soup bowls.
Pop Overs
Ingredients
3.5 cups milk
4 cups all - purpose flour
1.5 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 large eggs, at room temperature
Popover Tin
Mixer
Directions
Place the milk in a bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes, or until warm to the touch. Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder together in a large mixing bowl. Crack the eggs into the work bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes until foamy and pale in color. Turn down the mixer to low and add warm milk. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Turn the machine off and let the batter rest for 1 hour at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 450F while it is resting.
Spray a popover tin generously with nonstick spray. Fill the popover cups almost to the top with the batter and place the tin on a cookie sheet. Transfer to the oven and bake for 15 min. Turn down oven temp to 375F and bake for 30 to 35 minutes longer, until the popovers are a deep golden brown on the outside and airy on the inside. Turn out the popovers and serve hot with strawberry butter.
