One of the classic English dishes is the traditional Yorkshire
pudding - and you will find many menus in restaurants and pubs all over
the country including roast beef with Yorkshire pudding for Sunday lunch
or supper in particular. The dish is so beloved that the British Sunday
Roast has been given its own day of celebration on the first Sunday of
February.
Foreign visitors can sometimes be confused by the use of
the word `pudding` to describe the dish which is made from a batter and
served as part of a savoury course with meat and vegetables.
Originally, it is thought that the Yorkshire pudding (although it is
believed the dish comes from the North of England, it is not clear
whether it is from Yorkshire or not) was a `filler` in poor households
and was served before the more expensive meat course, made up of the
cheaper ingredients of flour, eggs, milk, water and beef dripping (or
vegetable oil) and salt.
Today the Yorkshire pudding has become an intrinsic part of the dish and many variations have arisen around it.
For
example, although beef was the traditional pairing with the Yorkshire
pudding, it can now be eaten with other meats or, sometimes, it is
served on its own with gravy. Originally, too the light and crispy
batter of the Yorkshire pudding was prepared in one large and shallow
tin and then divided into squares on serving.
However, the form of the
dish has now changed and it can be made in muffin tins to create
individual puddings (or can be bought in these shapes pre-made from the
supermarket). Sometimes `giant` puddings are served, filled with gravy,
meat and vegetables as a dish of its own too.
Other variations
have arisen too - the most famous of which is probably `Toad in the
Hole`. This is another filling traditional English dish, when sausages
are cooked in a large Yorkshire pudding. Toad in the Hole is usually
accompanied by onion gravy.
In days gone by, the leftovers of
Yorkshire pudding were used too, often reheated and with sweet
ingredients such as fruit, jam or syrup. The crispy texture of the
Yorkshire pudding means that it is amenable to this way of `using it
up`.
A whole range of `sweet` Yorkshire pudding recipes have
sprung up in this vein - you can find recipes to use bananas and maple
syrup or raspberry sauce to accompany the Yorkshire pudding (either hot
or cold).
Andrew Pern, the chef on the Great British Menu made a
Pistachio and Rhubarb Yorkshire Pudding to give an exotic twist to a
staple English favourite.
Certainly, the core batter of the
Yorkshire pudding can also be used to create other dishes completely
(excluding the pepper) such as pancakes.
As ever, when preparing
whichever version of the Yorkshire Pudding recipes that suits your
tastes or the occasion, it is always worth using good quality
catering equipment to get the best results.
