One final blowout before the obligatory January health kick. Roast pork with crispy crackling…mmmm!
I can’t claim the credit for cooking the meat. Or indeed for those crunchy golden orbs of roast potato. Instead, I was in charge of making the yorkshire pudding. My favourite recipe comes from The River Cottage Meat Book (a fantastic source of inspiration and advice if you’re partial to a Sunday roast), and Hugh F-W filched the recipe from the chef at the Whiteleaf Inn at Croyde in North Devon. The addition of extra egg yolks gives the pudding a special richness. I have halved the quantities that are given in the original version, which apparently serves 10, but if you want to prepare a big batch of batter you can always use any leftovers the next day to make a toad in the hole. Note that the batter needs to rest for at least 30 minutes before use.
And before you mention it, yes I do know that yorkshire pudding is traditionally served with roast beef. I choose to ignore this and would have it with every meal if I could.
Yorkshire Pudding, from The River Cottage Meat Book
125g plain flour
0.5 teaspoon salt
2 medium eggs, plus 1 yolk
150ml milk
150ml water
1 tablespoon olive oil
Put all the ingredients except the oil in a food processor, with the plunger removed to help aeration, and pulse for about five 10-second bursts until you have a smooth batter with the consistency of single cream. (I have also successfully made this in a stand mixer, and by hand with a good ol’ fashioned whisk – beat the eggs into the flour and salt, then gradually add the milk and water.)
Rest the batter for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 220ºC – if you’re cooking a full roast, it is quite likely that the oven will already be very hot, and the perfect time to cook the pudding is once you have removed the meat and it is resting.
You can make one big pudding or small individual ones. Either way, pour the oil into your tin(s) and heat for at least 5 minutes.
Pour the batter into the sizzling tin and return it to the oven for 20-25 minutes, until the pudding is well puffed-up and golden brown.
I made the ones in the photo above a bit too shallow – I suggest filling your tins about two-thirds full for really luscious little pillows of pudding.
Wishing you all the best for your exploits, especially cookery-related, in 2012!
