Yorkshire Pudding: or Kristin gets her thing!

I am going to tell you a story that is sad but true. Last year our family was getting ready for a family reunion. My grandmother was trying to organize a dinner. She was bringing the main course and was looking to see who could bring sides. She asked my mother to bring potatoes because EVERYONE loves her potatoes. She asked my brother to bring baked beans because EVERYONE loves his baked beans. She asked my sister-in-law to bake something for dessert because EVERYONE loves her desserts. Finally, she got to me.

"Kristin, could you just bring some chips or something?"

I know! It's sad! I didn't have a thing! Everyone needs that one thing that they are known for making, and I didn't have one. So with the help of my friend Gwyndolyn, I set out to find my thing.

Gwyndolyn and I share a love for all things British, so for my birthday she gave me a Harry Potter Cookbook with all kinds of wonderful traditional British recipes. It has bangers and mash, shepherd's pie, treacle tart, and so much more.

We began cooking our way through the cook book. One week we decided to make a roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. I got a lot of good advice from some lovely bloggers from across the pond. Here is what they had to say...

Cathy from The Nurture Store 

 

Oven as hot as you can, put 12 hole muffin tin in to warm up. Whisk 3 eggs, 115g plain flour, 285ml milk, pinch salt to make batter. Take out muffin tin and put a little vegetable oil in each muffin hole, put back in for a few minutes. Muffin tin half out, pour batter into each hole - quick! Back in oven for at least 15 minutes DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR TO PEEK! Remove, eat! Roast beef or sausages go great. Can also serve with fruit / berries for pud.

Cerys  from Rainy Day Mum 

 Oven on highest heat possible, I use a yorkshire pudding tin as we like LARGE puddings but you can use a muffin tin, 1 egg, make up the egg with milk to 200ml and then beat add a pinch of salt beat again and leave for 20 mins. Then add 2 and a half tablespoons of all purpose flour and whisk leave for at least 20 mins. Put tin in the oven with lard or vegetable oil (Lard works best although goose fat is even better) and heat up. When it's melted and very hot quickly take out and pour in the batter. Cook for 15 mins DON'T open the door otherwise they will go flat and them remove and eat. You can make toad in the hole by grilling some sausages and putting them in a dish with the lard heat up and then add the batter and then eat in 15 mins with meat gravy delicious :D

Charlotte from Make and Do Friend

 We use Flora White which is solidified veg oil - you need to get it spitting hot before you add your batter and don't open the oven door to peek!

Margarita from Red Ted Art 

 

I basically use pancake mixture (not the American pancake, but the UK pancake mixture), brown sausages, pour over pancake mixture and stick in the oven... :-)

Well, none of my measuring tools are in g or ml, but luckily my Harry Potter Cookbook had American measurements. However, the common piece of advice seemed to be DON'T PEEK, and that was not in the cookbook at all. 

The American measurements are:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

3 table spoons butter, melted

1 cup whole milk

I used muffin tins because I don't know were to find Yorkshire pudding tins. I poured a little vegetable oil in the bottom of each tin and put it in the oven which was set for 450 degrees.

When the oil was "spitting hot," I grabbed the batter out of the fridge and poured a large spoonful in to each muffin tin. It wasn't enough to do all 12, only about 9. I didn't peek, not once! I let them cook for 15 min, which is not what the Harry Potter Cookbook told me to do, but I decided to trust my friends over the book.

I'm so glad I did. They were amazing! I gave one to Gwyndolyn, she took a bite and said, "Kristin, I think we found your thing!" 

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