It’s not clear how Yorkshire pudding got its name, but the idea of cooking batter in fat drippings is, after all, what a pancake is all about, and Yorkshire pudding is nothing but a risen pancake. Traditionally, the English serve it with a standing rib roast for Christmas dinner and our family adopted the tradition of Yorkshire pudding for Christmas. The ideal way to make it is with the accumulated drippings of a roasting 4- or 5-rib standing rib roast, otherwise called prime rib in America even if the grade of the meat is not USDA Prime. I don’t always have the opportunity to cook a 5-rib rib roast, sometimes opting for a 1-rib roast if I’m only feeding 3 people, in which case you will not have enough accumulated fat to cook the pudding. I find replacing the drippings with lard or bacon fat works well.
Yorkshire pudding is delicious, impressive looking, and utterly simple to make if you follow directions exactly. I had this recipe for years, collected from a long-lost source and had not cooked it until about 20 years ago. What a delightful surprise you will find. To repeat: Follow the directions exactly.
- 1 cup whole milk, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup reserved rib roast pan-drippings, bacon fat, or lard
- In a blender, blend the milk, eggs and salt for 15 seconds on the highest setting. With the blender running, add the flour, a little at a time and blend the mixture at high speed for 2 minutes. Let the batter stand at room temperature, in the blender, covered, for 3 to 4 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- In a 10-inch oven proof skillet (inside measurement), heat the reserved fat in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it is just smoking. Blend the batter at high speed for 10 seconds and pour it into the skillet.
- Bake the pudding in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and bake the pudding 10 minutes more or until the top is all puffed up and a deep golden brown. Transfer the pudding to a platter and serve immediately.
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