Week 1 - Good old Yorkshire puddings!

I (Ju) decided to start nice and easy with a recipe made up of only four ingredients - Yorkshire Puddings!  As a girl who acutally lives in Yorshire, in the UK, there is really no excuse for me not being able to make these.  And a roast beef (or any other roast meat really) dinner just isn't the same without a decent Yorkshire pud!

I followed the directions provided in "The best of Mrs Beeton's Easy Everyday Cooking" cookbook.

"Dine we must and we may as well dine
elegantly as well as wholesomely"
Mrs Beaton

This book is a great guide to mastering the basics of everday cooking. This is the recipe:-

100g/4oz plain flour
1 egg (beaten)
150ml/ 1/4 pint milk
150ml/ 1/4 pint water

A pinch of salt is optional and you will need fat - oil, butter or meat fat juices - to cook the puddings in.

To make the batter, the flour should be sifted into a bowl - with the pinch of salt if using. The beaten egg should be added and the milk gradually worked in.  Beat the mixture for a few minutes until it is smooth and bubbly.  Stir in the water.  The mixture can be used immediately or can stand in the fridge until you are ready for it.

I put a knob of margerine in the tins I was using - this mixture will make either 6 small (7.5 cm) puddings or 1 large pudding. - and then put them in the oven to let the oil heat for 5 minutes until it is very hot. Then pour the mixture into the tin(s) and bake the puddings on the top shelf of the oven set to 200C for 15 to 20 mins until they have risen and are golden brown.

I tried spreading the mixture between three small tins and one larger tin which meant that there wasn't really enough batter for the larger tin.  Nevertheless, the appearance of the finished puddings were reasonably good despite the larger pudding being a little flat!  And the main thing was that Joe, Andy, my parents and me thought that they tasted good.

Sorry but I forgot to take photos.  I'll try harder next time.  For anyone who is unfamiliar with the concept of the Yorkshire Pudding, here's a picture I've borrowed from BBC Good Food magazine  to show you what they look like:-

"Yorkshire puddings"!  Image taken
from BBC Good Food Magazine.