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- Dec 2, 2005
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Thanks very much for starting this contest. It is interesting to read the responses, some of which would do very well in a literature competition.
Those of us who do not succeed in winning a prize should at least eat some "Yorkshire Pudding" as a way of thanking Jack Black. Can he post a recipe?
Faiaoga
The Yorkshire pudding line made me laugh out loud Faiaoga. Thanks to everyone for their posts, there were indeed some very impressive ones.
As for the Yorkshire pudding, it's one of my favourite things to eat, but as an overweight vegetarian I don't eat it too often these days. It's fattening and works best with a good meat roast with the fat from the meat. You need a really hot oven I think also, ideally what we call a 'Yorkshire range', a cast-iron oven that always has a blazing fire, but there aren't too many of those left. Recipes vary, and are argued over constantly, and handed down like family heirlooms. You need to get plenty of air into the recipe, and I like to add a little beer. I've never made anything anywhere near as good as my Grandmother's or the Yorkshire pudding I've been served in the old South Yorkshire pit villages, where there was always a blazing fire (even during the 1984-85 miner's strike).
Here's a recipe that's worth giving a go if you're so inclined (you can always double the quantities):
5oz (150g) plain flour
Pinch salt
1 large egg
10fl oz (300 ml) milk
Beef dripping
Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and tip in the egg and a little of the milk. Beat very thoroughly, gradually incorporating the flour, and adding more of the milk as necessary until you have a smooth (pancake-type) batter. It should be the consistency of thick cream, with plenty of air beaten into it.
Place some beef dripping or fat from your roast into a large pan. Hard for me to give the amount as it depends on the size of the pan, but you don't just want to coat the bottom, you want a bit more than that. If you're using solid dripping a tablespoon is about right. Your oven should be HOT, say 425F/220C. Put the tin in the top of the oven for 5 minutes until the fat is smoking hot. Working quickly, remove the tin, pour in the batter, and get it back in the oven as quickly as possible. The Yorkshire Pudding is done when it's well-risen, puffy, and golden brown. Usually 40-45 minutes.
I like to replace some of the milk with a splash (2-3 fl oz) of beer, while others swear by 50-50 milk and water. You can make 'Seasoned Pudding' by adding herbs (say sage and parsley). Getting it right is a process of experimentation, depending to a large extent on your oven. If you want to serve it in the authentic Yorkshire style, have it just before your meal, as a starter, with thick gravy.
Pudding aside, Sheffield's real secret is this stuff (below) - Henderson's Relish.
http://www.hendersonsrelish.com/home.htm
I'll be using some this afternoon to make my version of Sheffield's most traditional dish, a poor man's stew served on Wednesday evenings, the day before pay-day - Ash!
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