Yorkshire pudding is a dish that originated in
Yorkshire, England, and has attained wide popularity. It is made from
batter and most often served with roast beef, chicken, or any meal in
which there is gravy.
The Yorkshire pudding is a staple of the British Sunday lunch and in some
cases is eaten as a separate course prior to the main meat dish. This
was the traditional method of eating the pudding and is still common in
parts of Yorkshire today. Because the rich gravy from the roast meat
drippings was used up with the first course, the main meat and vegetable
course was often served with a parsley or white sauce.
It is often claimed that the purpose of the dish was to provide a cheap
way to fill the diners - the Yorkshire pudding being much cheaper than
the other constituents of the meal - thus stretching a lesser amount of
the more expensive ingredients as the Yorkshire pudding was
traditionally served first.
Traditionally, Yorkshire pudding is cooked in a large tin underneath a
roasting joint of meat in order to catch the dripping fat and then cut
appropriately. Yorkshire pudding may also be made in the same pan as the
meat, after the meat has been cooked and moved to a serving platter,
which also takes advantage of the meat fat that is left behind.
In recent years, it has become more popular to cook them in batches in
bun tins (baked in muffin trays or baking tins), making individual mini
puddings.
In pub cuisine, Yorkshire puddings may be offered with a multitude of
fillings, with the pudding acting as a bowl.
The Recipe
below Serves 6:
Milk
300
ml
Eggs
4
Flour
260 g
Salt, ground black pepper
to taste
Vegetable oil (lard)
2 tbsp
Heat the oven to the highest temperature
possible, however, do not exceed 450°
F/230° C or the fat may burn.
Pour the eggs and milk into a large mixing
bowl and add the pinch of salt. Whisk thoroughly with an
electric hand beater or hand whisk. Leave to stand for 10
minutes.
Gradually sieve the same volume of flour (as
the eggs) into the milk and egg mixture, again using an electric
hand beater or hand-whisk to create a lump free batter
resembling thick cream, if there are any lumps pass the batter
through a fine sieve.
Leave the batter to rest in the kitchen for a
minimum of 30 minutes:
Place a pea-sized piece of lard, dripping or
0.5 tsp vegetable oil in a12-hole muffin tin or Yorkshire
pudding tin (4 x 2"/5cm hole tin) and heat in the oven until the
fat is smoking. Give the batter another good whisk adding 2
tbsps of cold water and fill a third of each section of the tin
with batter and return quickly to the oven.
Leave to cook until golden brown approx 20
minutes. Repeat the last step again until all the batter is used
up:
Serving Yorkshire Pudding
In Yorkshire the pudding is traditionally
served with gravy as a starter dish followed by the
meat and vegetables. More often smaller puddings cooked in
muffin tins are served alongside meat and vegetables.
Yorkshire pudding isn’t reserved only for
Sunday lunch. A large pudding filled with a meaty stew or
chili is a dish in its own right.
Cold left-over Yorkshire Puddings make a
lovely snack with a little jam or honey.
Yorkshire Puddings do not reheat well,
becoming brittle and dry.
