Thursday, December 11, 2008

The proof is in the pudding.

Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Is it just me or are those two things put together quintessentially English? Maybe it's because I've read the Pop Larkin chronicles far too many times, but the idea of it just make my mouth water... so I thought I'd try my hand at it.

In A Breath of French Air, the sequel to The Darling Buds of May which some of you may remember as a TV series with a very young Catherine Zeta Jones in it), it is described as "a pudding that had no equal. It was about the best in the world."

'Scuse the blurry photo. There was also gravy but this is a pre-gravy picture.
This was also my first experience roasting beef as we never had it as children and it was always said to be dry and not very pleasant roasted, allegedly.
However, I gave it my best shot and I think it turned out rather splendid.
Mrs Beeton has a couple of recipes for Yorkshire pudding; you can have it plain, boiled, with raisins or cooking in a greased paper bag.
I made half the recipe, because really there was only two of us for dinner and I also roasted some potatoes because I wasn't sure how it would turn out.

YORKSHIRE PUDDING

INGREDIENTS - 1 pint of milk
2 eggs
4 heaped tablespoons of flour
salt
dripping

METHOD - Put the flour and a good pinch of salt into a basin, make a well in the centre, break in the eggs, stir gradually, mixing the flour from the sides, and dd milk by degrees until a thick, smooth batter is formed. Now beat well for about 10 minutes, then add the remainder of the milk, cover and let it stand for at least 1 hour.
When ready to use, cover the bottom of a pudding-tin with a thin layer of dripping taken from the meat-tin, and while the tin and dripping are getting thoroughly hot in the oven, give the batter another good beating. Bake the pudding for about 10 minutes in a hot oven partially to cook the bottom, or, if more convenient, place the hottest shelf from oven on the meat-stand, and at once put the pudding in front of the fire, and cook it until set and well browned.
"Yorkshire" pudding is always cooked in front of the fire; when baked in the oven, the term "batter pudding" is applied to it by the people in the county whence it derives its name. This pudding is frequently served with gravy, and, as a rule, before the meat.

TIME - About 40 minutes. SUFFICIENT for 5 or 6 persons.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yorkshire pudding - nom nom nom

Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding is what my English Nana used to serve for tea when we visited! Delicious!

I tried to make Yorkshire pudding once without drippings. I used spray PAM! It didn't work at all! They were hard little round throwable weapons and not delicious at all!

atomicliving said...

I have never tried to make it myself, but now I am. Do u think it would be odd to use my plum pudding tin? I mead it is not large and shaped rather dessert-ish, but do u think it would work. How did u cook urs, open fire? I mean I could try it in the fireplace, or did u just bake it in the oven?

weenie_elise said...

i baked mine in the oven, 180oC for about 25 mins... I put mine pudding into muffin tins, but I'm sure you could use your plum pudding tin, any pudding tins probably okay