Yorkshire Pudding

 According to my husband, I have mastered the art of Yorkshire pudding.  His parents are from the UK, and Yorkshire pudding was a staple in their home.  I don't think I will ever be able to create them as well as my mother-in-law, but I'm doing a pretty good job.

What is Yorkshire pudding?  If you are American, like me, you think of pudding as a sweet, creamy dessert.  This is not that at all.  It is a savory bread-like popover into which you can pour gravy and eat with your roast beef if you are making the traditional meal.  The recipe dates back to 1737.  The British like tradition.

The perfect vessel for gravy!

I've tried several recipes and methods, and this is the way I am making them from now on.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
6 ounces of whole milk
2 teaspoons (and later 1 tablespoon) of water
1 cup plus 2 tabelspoons of flour
a healthy pinch of salt (at least half a teaspoon)
bacon grease
avocado oil
12 cup muffin pan

1-Make the batter by whisking the eggs, milk, 2 teaspoons of water, flour, and salt.  Cover and refrigerate for 2-6 hours.  You can even refrigerate it overnight.

2-Half an hour prior to cooking, remove the batter.  Add a tablespoon of cool water and whisk again.

3-Heat your oven to 450 degrees.

4-Place about 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoons of bacon grease in each cup of the muffin tin.  Also place 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon of avocado oil in each cup.  Place the tray in the oven for approximately 10 minutes.  You want the fat to get piping hot.

5-When the oil is sizzling (and maybe even smoking a little bit), pull it out of the oven and set it on hot pads.  Carefully pour batter into each muffin cup till they are all about 3/4 full.  

6-Place the muffin pan back in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes depending on how crispy you want them to be.  Try not to open the oven door as they are cooking.  You want to maintain the temperature as much as possible.

7-When they are finished cooking, remove from oven.  Let them sit about a minute, then remove them from the pan into a serving dish and enjoy!

Notes:

Some recipes call for using roast drippings instead of or in addition to oil.  This will only work if you have fatty drippings.  If there is not enough fat due to using a lean cut of meat, your puddings will taste okay, but they will not get crispy or fluffy or form cups in the middle, and they will stick to the pan.  Trust me... this happened to me.

If you don't have avocado oil, make sure you are using fat or oil that can survive at 450 degrees without burning.  It is perfectly okay to use only bacon grease or you could try using lard.  Butter is not a good substitute for oil.

They would also taste great eaten on the side with butter like a traditional roll.

I hope you can use this recipe (which is a culmination of trying several recipes to see what worked best).  Have a great weekend!

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