Sunday Roast: Yorkshire Puddings

Sunday roasts have held a place in our family for as long as I can remember. When I was little my Nan would cook a roast every Sunday after church. As I grew older and then when we moved away from my grandparents Sunday roasts still happened but they weren't the huge family affair and they didn't happen every weekend. But like all things wonderful, the Sunday roast has come around again and has started a tradition for a new generation.

Life is busy and things get in the way of the little things we sometimes enjoy. But for the most part one of my brothers, his wife and their two little ones are at Mum and Dad's for a family dinner on the weekend. We mix it up every once in a while and have tacos or lasagne but most weeks it is a roast. And I have to say that I love the 'tradition' of it. The memories that are being made, the delicious food we share and the crazy, silly things we talk and laugh about at the table.



Last weekend we mixed it up with a Saturday night dinner and a simple meal of jacket potatoes using bolognese left over from my Super Charged Lasagne. So when Sunday came around and I was longing for that roast and a little bit of nostalgia as well.

As I mentioned, as a kid it was my Nan who cooked the Sunday roasts and let me tell you they generally had all the trimmings. One of my favourite trimmings is Yorkshire Pudding. I mean how much more of a nod can there be to my family's heritage than gorgeous little golden puddings to go with your roast beef and gravy! I haven't had Yorkshire Pudding in... well I can't even remember when the last time was. So my mission last weekend was to give this nostalgic classic a go. My puddings ended up with a hollow centre but let me tell you they did not disappoint! I am going to do a bit of research and try them again in the near future to figure out what went wrong but they tasted super yummy so I'm not stressed. I have a feeling it might be from leaving the fat filter in the oven after the roast which has a tendency to mess with baked goods.



This week's tips/hints:
* These little babies are just wonderful with your roast beef and lots of delicious gravy.
* Once they have cooled, pop the leftovers in the freezer. Now you can have Yorkshire Puddings ready whenever you want them!
* Make sure you get the pans and the oil really hot. The batter should sizzle when you pour it in.
* Make sure you let the batter rest for at least 30 minutes. This is a really important step in ensuring that your batter is smoother leading to deliciously light and crispy puddings.

Enjoy! Xxx

Yorkshire Puddings

Serves: 12
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 15 - 20 minutes

Ingredients

3 eggs
115g plain flour
285ml milk
a pinch of salt
vegetable oil

Method

Whisk eggs, flour, milk and salt together until well combined.
Pour batter into a jug and let rest for at least 30 minutes.

While the batter is resting, preheat oven to 225°C.
While the oven is warming up, place a 12 pan muffin tray in the oven, on the top shelf.
Once the oven is up to temp and the muffin tray is hot, carefully remove the tray and close the oven again to maintain the high heat.
Place a tablespoon of vegetable oil in each muffin hole.
Pop the tray back in the oven for 5 minutes or so until the oil is smoking hot.
Slide the shelf with the tray half way out and fill each muffin hole with Yorkshire Pudding batter and gently slide back into the oven, as quickly as possible.
Allow the puddings to cook until they are golden and crispy, about 15 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DURING THIS COOKING TIME! It will lead to sunken puddings.
Remove from the oven and serve as soon as possible.