Foodie Friday: Yorkshire Puddings

Greetings Humble Readers...

It's another grey and wet day here on the flatland, but thankfully the predicted snow hasn't materialized (altho apparently it did in the Big City To The North).  I'm currently waiting on the carpet cleaning guys to get here, so I thought I would take advantage of the fact that I haven't had to unplug the modem yet and tell you about a Sunday night staple around the hobbit-hole. 

Humble Readers, even gestational diabetes can't separate this hobbit from her yorkshire puddings.  Sunday dinner in the cold months (which is about 9 months of the year around here) is not complete without the yorkshire puds.  If I'm making gravy, I'm making yorkies.  It's a given (except Thanksgiving and Christmas, but that's only because I have a gazillion other things I'm making). 

I think in the US you might call these popovers.  But whatever you call them, when they are on your plate beside a piece of roasted chicken or a couple of slices of roast beef, and they're covered in gravy... they are fluffy bits of heaven.  Once you've mastered the basic recipe, you can add all sorts of yummy options like herbs, spices and/or cheese. 

And the great thing is, the recipe is sooooo simple, you can't possibly mess it up.  There are a few key things to remember, but really, anybody can make these lovely little babies. 

Yorkshire Puddings

3 lg eggs, room temp *
1 cup milk, room temp *
1 cup all-purpose flour **
1 tsp salt
Oil (traditional recipes call for beef drippings, but I use olive oil)

In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to combine and beat eggs and milk, until frothy.  Add flour and salt, and beat until smooth.  (If you are adding any extras, this is when you would do it... I like thyme for chicken, basil for beef, parmasean cheese for whatever, and I ALWAYS add a touch of ground black pepper)  Let the batter rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes, but an hour is better.  Preheat your oven to 425F.  Put about a teaspoon of oil in each cup of a 12 cup muffin tin, or two teaspoons in each of a 6 cup yorkie/popover pan.  Take the extra minute to use a pastry brush to spread the oil over the surface of the cups.  Heat the pan in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes, until the oil starts to smoke a little.  Remove the pan from the oven and equally divide the batter between all 12 or 6 cups.  Do this quickly, and put the pan back in the oven.  If you are using a 12 cup muffin tin, check on them after about 20 minutes.  Otherwise, do not open the oven for 30 minutes. 

When they come out, they will look like this...  golden, puffy, and hollow.

Serve them right away, with your favourite gravy.  They don't reheat well, but really, you won't have any left over to reheat.  I promise.

* I leave them out on the counter for the afternoon.  I can't tell you why this is important, but I know when I haven't done this, the yorkies don't get the height.
** Spoon flour into your measuring cup, don't scoop it.  I know that sounds dumb, but trust me!

One of my happy memories from my bio-family was yorkies with roast beef on Sunday nights.  Instead of dousing them in gravy, I would stuff them full of roast beef, gravy, potatoes and veggies, and then eat them like a savoury twinkie.  Yummm! 

One other tip.  When you put the pan in the oven, put it in on top of a lined (with foil or parchment) baking tray.  Otherwise you'll end up needing to clean your oven, because the oil from the pan will overflow a bit. 

I hope you give these a try if you've never made them.