The World is a Book...

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." - St Augustine


A small interruption from my EuroTrip photos as I celebrate my birthday...

EuroTrip - London - Westminster

Yorkshire Pudding 2.0

If you’ve been following this blog you probably have some idea why there’s a 2.0 in the title. Or should it be 1.1?

My first attempt at making Yorkshire pudding wasn’t a great success. But judging from my son polishing off that first batch like there’s no tomorrow, it wasn’t a complete failure either. I have since tried various other recipes and have finally found one I am happy with.

Give honour to where honour is due. The recipe below was inspired by the English episode of SBS’s Food Safari. I’ve tweaked it slightly for a “lighter” version. Instead of using duck/goose fat or drippings I substituted sunflower oil. I also found the 10g of salt on the original recipe a bit much. You decide how much salt to put in. You can even add sugar if you’re so inclined for a sweet kind of pud. Instead of gravy, pour cream or ice cream for a decadent dessert. It’s not so out there come to think of it as the ingredients for this are not that dissimilar to pancakes.

It’s the cooking technique that makes all the difference. The oven must be really hot. The fat in the muffin tins must also be smoking hot. The batter needs that constant high temperature hit until it’s done. Otherwise you would not get that characteristic crater in the middle of this pudding.

Yorkshire Pudding ala Beancounter 2.0
4 eggs
200g plain flour
450ml full cream milk
A bit of salt
Sunflower oil

1. Place your muffin tins in an 180C oven to warm through.

2. Mix together the flour and the salt and make a well in the centre.

3. In a separate bowl beat the eggs and milk together. Pour about a third of the liquid into the centre of the flour well and whisk until all absorbed. Add another third of the liquid and so on. Set aside your batter.

4. Turn the heat up to 220C. Take the muffin tins out and pour about 1 cm of oil in each tin and place back in the oven until the oil is smoking hot.

5. Remove the muffin tray once more and pour the batter into each tin until three quarters full. Return to the oven and cook for 15 -20 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Serve hot with your roast beef.

Roast Rib of Beef

Although Filipino cuisine has got a lot to offer even in winter (with its rich soups and stews) I find nothing more comforting than traditional English roast beef to counter the cold.



Roasting used to intimidate me. Growing up in a home with no "real oven" to speak of the concept of "oven roasting" was an entirely new arena for me. My early ventures into this style of cooking resulted in mini disasters but nothing big enough to stop me altogether.



Although your choice cut of meat it vital, roasting is more about getting the combination of the temperature and cooking time right. Once you've mastered this roasting is pretty much fool proof. Always bear in mind though that recipes are simply guides. It is important for you to get to know your oven well. There's no better way to do this than to keep watch as you cook. Half an hour in a recipe might mean 35 minutes using your oven...




I prefer to use beef rib roast for this recipe. Not only is it more tender and juicier it also looks more elegant and more sophisticated than other cuts. I like mine "pink" but living in a household dominated by young palates we've reached a compromise as evidenced by my photos.

Roast Rib of Beef

1kg Beef Rib Roast

Butter

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 220C.

2. Rub the salt and pepper liberally over the surface of the meat.

3. To keep the meat moist during the roasting process place bits of softened butter all over the meat (a tip from Inay Carmen)

4. Stand the beef rib in a roasting tray and roast for 15 minutes or until the meat starts to brown on the outside.

5. Lower the heat to 180C and continue roasting for about an hour (Approximately 30 minutes for every 500g. Reduce it to 20 minutes if you want it more pink.).

6. Take the meat out of the oven and rest for approximately 10-15 minutes before carving.

7. Serve with some Yorkshire puddings and roasted vegetables.

Yorkshire Puddings

I find Yorkshire pudding quite intriguing. I actually thought it was a dessert. I can be forgiven for thinking such. It's called a pudding after all. But then again, the British also have "black pudding" which is anything but.

Yorkshire pudding is the classic accompaniment to roast beef. It's like pancake batter cooked in the oven to make the most of the drippings from the roast. For a lighter version (like mine) use sunflower oil as an alternative.

I've never made these before but the recipes I've read looked simple enough I did not hesitate making them when we had roast beef for dinner last Sunday evening.

In hindsight I think I would have had a better result using self raising flour. Mine just did not rise high enough. It wasn't a complete disaster. My son couldn't get enough of them as a matter of fact. But if you're going to try the recipe below use self raising flour instead.

Yorkshire Puddings

150g plain flour
pinch of salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cups milk
Sunflower oil




1. Sift flour and salt in a large bowl.
2. Add the egg.
3. Add the milk a little at a time making sure everything is well mixed together. Set aside for at least an hour.
4. Place a bit of oil in about 12 individual muffin tins.
5. Heat tins in a 220C oven for a few minutes.
6. Pour the batter into the tins about half to three quarters of the way up.
7. Lower the heat to 180C and bake for about 25 minutes.