Recipe: Yorkshire Pudding (3)

Yorkshire Pudding
Yorkshire-Pudding batter needs to be cold. Make it a day ahead, and refrigerate.
Serves: 8

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs
2 1/2 cups milk

1. Sift together flour and salt. Place in bowl; make a well, and place eggs in center. Slowly whisk eggs into flour mixture until a paste forms. Gradually whisk in 1/2 cup milk. Gradually whisk in remaining z cups milk. Cover with plastic; chill in the refrigeratorat least 4 hours, or overnight.

2. When roast is finished, set oven at 425 degrees. When pan has been deglazed, pour 1/4 cup reserved pan drippings into roasting pan. Heat pan and drippings until very hot, about 5 minutes. Remove batter from refrigerator, and shake or whisk well; quickly pour into hot pan. Cook until crisp and golden, 20 to 30 minutes. Serve warm with Prime Rib.

Yorkshire Pudding
(This dish was originally cooked in a tin under the rotating spit on which roast beef was cooking - the juices from the meat dripped on to it, giving a delicious flavour. In Yorkshire, it is still cooked around the meat tin and is served as a first course before the meat and vegetables).
Serves 4-6

Lard - a little, melted
Plain flour - 110g (4 oz)
Egg - 1
Milk - 300ml ( pint)

Pre-heat oven to 220 C / 425 F / Gas 7.

Put a little lard in 12 individual Yorkshire pudding tins (or deep bun tins) or a single large tin and leave in the oven until the fat is very hot.

Place the flour in a bowl, then make a well in the centre and break in the egg. Add half the milk and, using a wooden spoon, gradually work in the flour. Beat the mixture until it is smooth then add the remaining milk. Beat until well mixed and the surface is covered with tiny bubbles.

Pour the batter into the tins and bake for 10 to 15 minutes for individual puddings; 30 to 40 minutes, if using a large tin, until risen and golden brown.

Popovers Yorkshire Pudding
Serving Size: 8
Preparation Time :0:45

1 pint Milk
1 1/3 cups Flour
3 each Eggs
1 pinch salt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the flour and eggs first, to get out the lumps. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Let it sit for twenty minutes. Stir again and pour into greased molds. For Yorkshire pudding, you must use beef drippings for your grease, and bake in a large shallow pan. Popovers may be baked in molds of that name or muffin pans.

Most recipes say to get the fat smoking hot before pouring in the batter. I have always done this for Yorkshire pudding, but there was a time when I was responsible for eighteen dozen popovers at 11:30 a.m.daily. I used spray oil on muffin pans and sprayed and then filled all of them, cold. I then put them on the hearth in a 350 F oven. They baked for twenty-five minutes. Perfectly.

In a rack oven I would increase the temperature to 425 F.