Yorkshire Puddings. Invented in Yorkshire, and made from flour milled in Yorkshire flour mills, eggs laid on Yorkshire Farms and milk produced in Yorkshire dairies.
Oh, and cooked by an idiot in Thailand!
In case you don't know what Yorkshire Puddings are, it's basically a pancake batter that's cooked in a tray, similar to a muffin tray, and generally eaten with a traditional Sunday roast dinner, smothered with gravy. They can also be eaten as a sweet dish with jam or butter and sugar, or even made with currants and raisins baked into them, as my old Nana used to do.
You can make them big and fill them with meat and veggies, or small as a complement to your roast beef.
As for my most recent attempt, they were a little underdone inside and overdone near the top, so I'll cut straight to the chase by starting with what went wrong. It's simply that my oven was slightly too hot and I used a fraction too much oil. If I were back in Yorkshire, I'd be using Lard instead of palm oil, which I've been trying to get the hang of using recently as I attempt to cut down on my use of very expensive butter.
That's the list of simple ingredients.
125g plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs
150ml milk
oil or lard
The interesting thing about the ingredients is that there is no specific rising agent. In the UK, we would probably use self-raising flour, but as that isn't available here in Thailand, or most of the rest of the world, I believe, it's plain, or 'all-purpose' flour for this recipe. The rise comes from the method of cooking.
A little note about the pan. Back home, the traditional Yorkshire pudding pan has four holes which are larger in diameter and shallower than a bun tin or muffin pan, so this one was the best I could find.
The diameter isn't bad, but it's deeper than I'd have used back in the UK.
So the very first thing you need to do is get the oven on and preheated. We're looking for 220°C or 200°C for fan-assisted ovens.
Next, you'll need to pour about 0.25cm of oil into your pan and as soon as the oven has reached temperature, bang it in the oven. The most important part of making Yorkshire puddings is having a tray of hot oil ready to pour your batter into. This is where the rise comes from.
As for the batter itself, eggs first, and lightly whisk them using a regular, hand balloon whisk.
Oh look! I made an eggy, smiley face!
Just gently, get a little air in, but don't go crazy. We're not making an omelette!
When you've done that, sieve in the flour and salt. This has to be my current favourite 'gadget' that I bought at Ikea the last time we were in Bangkok.
When that's all loosely mixed together, start pouring and mixing in the milk, a little at a time...
...until you get a beautifully light and creamy smooth batter like this!
My mum used to let her batter stand at room temperature for a few hours, only using it and 'putting the puddings in' when the rest of the Sunday dinner was almost cooked.
Don't worry if you don't use all your batter at once, simply cover with clingfilm and leave it in the fridge where it should be good for a couple of days.
Right, you're almost there. Quickly get your pan of hot oil out of the oven and close the door. We need to retain the heat, and pour about 1cm of batter into the bottom of each hole.
Be careful! If you've got the pan and oil up to a good temperature, you're going to experience some sizzling and a little spitting. The batter will begin to cook instantaneously, so straight back into your oven for 22 - 25 minutes.
No peeking and opening the oven door
You don't want to lose that rise. When the puddings are nicely risen and browned to your liking, out they come.
And there you have them. Use as a sweet or a savoury dish, just as you might a pancake and enjoy!
As I said, my effort was a little poor, but I will improve. These are very quick and easy to make, so if you try, why not send me a picture and let's see who can add the most delicious and original customisations. Comment rewarder is added to help reward all your wonderful comments.
Thanks for reading, and my best wishes to all. Have a wonderful, healthy and happy weekend.
