I know it came from Britain and if I remember the story correctly Yorkshire pudding was cooked below a roast and the pudding was cooked with the aid of the drippings from the roast above. The adults ate the roast and the pudding was served to the children or at least the story goes.
I made Yorkshire with packaged mix for years, having given up making it from scratch because of too many failures that rendered my effort little chewy hockey puck dumplings instead of fluffy light and tasty Yorkshire puddings. The package stuff was okay but very expensive and I prefer to make things from scratch, so I searched for years to locate a recipe that would give me tasty and reliable results without coming from a package and one day I entered Yorkshire Pudding Nirvana; I found a recipe and a technique online that they guaranteed great results every time.
Emboldened by that website I made a batch according to the instructions and it worked! In fact it worked better than any I had ever made or eaten previously - they were that good. Thinking I fluked a good batch I made them again a week later, and voilà, they were perfect again. I have made them so often they are now a regular accompaniment to our Sunday dinners and they have never failed me.
I promised one of my friends to post the recipe on the blog and I am doing just that, here, now and below....
4 large eggs, measured in a measuring cup
equal quantity of milk to eggs
equal quantity of all purpose flour to eggs
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp Canola oil (it has a very high smoking point)
Preheat oven to 450° F
Pour the eggs and milk into a large mixing bowl, add salt. Blend thoroughly with an electric hand mixer. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Gradually add the flour into the milk and egg mixture as you blend with a hand mixer. Blend at high speed for 3 minutes to ensure the batter is free from any lumps.
Pass the mixture through a sieve to remove all the lumps.
Let the batter to rest for a minimum of 1 hour (2 is preferred) at room temperature (20°c).
Using a 12 hole muffin tin place 1 teaspoon oil in each muffin cup. Place the muffin tin in the oven for 5 minutes to heat oil and tin.(Helpful hint: Never wash muffin trays with soapy water, simply wipe them out with a clean cloth after use and if needed a little hot water, then oil, heat in hot oven for 10 minutes, then let cool and store)
Just before pouring the batter into the hot muffin tins add 2 tablespoons of ice cold water to the pudding batter, stir well with a whisk.
Remove muffin tray from oven and then quickly pour enough batter into each cup to fill halfway up (in the pictures you can see the batter bubbling at the edge of the cup, that means it's hot and it has to be hot!!!)
Place in the oven, after 10 minutes turn down heat to 400 and bake 20 minutes more. Turn oven off and let the puffs of goodness sit for 10 minutes more to dry out and firm up, thus ensuring they don't fall. Do not open the oven door at any time before the puddings are finished baking. Use the window if you want to watch them grow.
I now own and use a use a convection oven and it gives great results. If you use a convection oven place rack in center of the oven and the muffin tray in the center of the rack. If you use a conventional oven place the rack in the top 1/3 of the oven (if you bake in a lower level the Yorkshire bottoms can burn since the heat comes from the bottom of the oven). In both ovens when the Yorkshire pudding is golden brown after the 30 minutes has elapsed, turn the oven off and let the Yorkshire bake for another 10 minutes.
You will need to run a test batch or two to get your timing down pat since every oven is different as is the flour you use, so cooking times will vary for sure. Once you have perfected the cooking times they are easy and quick to make and taste like a million bucks. Your oven may be best at 400° – 425°F and you may want to cook longer or shorter at full temperature. Start with the recipe temperatures as is and then perhaps adjust in subsequent batches untill you arrive at your preferred doneness.
Enjoy!!!!!!
Note: Important Note! Pay attention to important note!!!!
You must let the batter rest for 2 hours at room temperature.
Ensure you use EQUAL parts of eggs, flour and milk.
Use ice water to shock the mixture just before pouring it into the tins.
Whisk the ice water into the mixture to ensure it is well incorporated.
DO NOT open the oven door at any time prior to them being fully cooked and set (about 30 minutes)!
The tins and oil must be very hot, so you have to work fast when they are removed from the oven to fill.
Goes great with prime rib roast!!!!
I do not take credit for this recipe and I have tried to locate the origin of it on the Web, but I have not been able to. If I do I will post the link to the website. What I do know is this is a great recipe and works for me every time. Depending on the elevation you are at you may need to alter the cooking time, but do not alter the recipe proportions.
Try a batch or 3 and you can send me cash via PayPal to thank me. Your welcome, and enjoy.
Snowy Palms Resort