Moving to London in the early ’70s was really a scary time for me. I was from a small suburb in New Jersey where everyday life as I knew it was turned upside down. England was a different world for me and took some time to adapt. We live with my Auntie Joyce and my cousins Gina and Marco. As time went by and being so young I’d adapted to this new way of life.

During this time it was only my mom, my sister, and me and we didn’t have much in the way of money but we had each other, and food became more important than I’d ever remembered it being.

I remember having fun watching my mom making dishes she knew as traditional but ones I didn’t recognize. I asked a lot of questions. My mom was born and raised in Southeast London. I could see in her face how she loved the style of cooking and the traditional dishes familiar to her.

I found this new style of food to be really different but delicious. Now I can tell you, being a kid, there were some foods I just wouldn’t touch, however, Sunday dinners were the best. Yorkshire Pudding I loved. Roast beef, roasted potatoes, gravy, and Yorkshire Pudding.

I’d watch Auntie Joyce preparing the Yorkshire Pudding and because I loved it, I memorized every step. Yorkshire Pudding is not so much a pudding as we know it here, but a type of bread that’s used to dip into a gravy. I’d say it’s more like a popover. I do remember taking my first bite.

I’m also making this recipe without the use of rendered beef fat witch is traditionally the way it’s made. I’m substituting vegetable shortning because I didn’t make a beef roast. A quick trick is to add 2 tablespoons of good beef stock to give you the flavor of beef.

Being a bread lover I was hooked. I think the reason I  remembered this recipe is because it took only a few ingredients and the measurements were simple. A cup, a cup, and a cup. Let me show you how I did it.

I mentioned it was a cup, a cup, and a cup, I’m increasing the recipe to 4 cups of each ingredient. This will yield 12 large Yorkshire Puddings.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 to 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Equipment: 2 (6-cup) large muffin pans
Yields: 12 Yorkshire Puddings

Ingredients:
4 cups of all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
4 cups of milk, room temperature
3/4 teaspoon of Kosher salt
12 tablespoons Tallow (pure rendered beef fat) substitute vegetable shortening, 12 tablespoons
6 tablespoons (1/2 tablespoon for each muffin tin) of beef broth/stock, unsalted, use only with vegetable shortening

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450-degrees F.
Start by whisking the milk, Kosher salt, and eggs together. Slowly whisk in the flour until just combined. DO NOT overmix. The batter may be slightly lumpy, that’s fine. Allow the batter to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes or until the bubbles have mostly disappeared.

Notes:  1). If you’re using vegetable shortning add an additional 1/2 tablespoon of unsalted beef broth/stock to each muffin cup holders.
2). If you’re using Tallow (rendered beef fat), eliminate both the beef stock and vegetable shortening.

If you’re using Tallow, add 1 tablespoon to each muffin tin. If you’re using second option, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable shortening plus 1/2 tablespoon of unsalted beef stock to each one of the muffin cup holders. Place the muffin pan into the oven until the oil is super hot and bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the muffin tins from the oven, carefully ladle in the batter. Fill each tin about 3/4 of the way full. Place the muffin pans back into the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Remove the Yorkshire Puddings from the muffin tins as soon as you’re able to handle them. You’ll want to serve them while they’re still nice and hot.

There you have it, my Auntie Joyce’s Yorkshire Pudding.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2022/04/17/roast-beef-dinner-english-style/