Yorkshire Pudding is a favorite of mine to serve with a delicious Prime Rib. In England, “pudding“ refers to a savory bread cooked in meat drippings (sort of like a dumpling). Yorkshire Pudding was created in Yorkshire, England, back in 1737 when chefs were first introduced to wheat flour. Always trying to find ways to use up the odds and ends in the kitchen, they made a quick batter that was then steamed in the pan of leftover meat drippings and served alongside the roast.
I’m often inspired by old world cooking styles and this time I’ve turned Yorkshire Pudding into what many people know as Popovers. For a more contemporary version, I’ve added fresh minced herbs into the batter to mimic the flavors of roasted meat. Popovers are a fun and tasty alternative to simple dinner bread.
 |
Ingredients
3/4 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary
3/4 tsp. fresh chopped thyme
3/4 tsp. fresh chopped tarragon
2½ cups whole milk
7 eggs (at room temperature)
3 tbsp. melted butter
4 3/4 cups flour
1 tbsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
6 tbsp. butter
|
Instructions for preparation
Remove the rosemary, thyme and tarragon from the stem and rough chop, then place in a blender with ½ cup of the milk and mix for 15 seconds. Place the blended and remaining milk, eggs, melted butter, flour, salt and pepper in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer with the whip attachment and mix on low for 1 minute. Scrape the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula then whip on medium for 30 seconds. Place in a covered container and refrigerate for 2 hours. The batter should be cold and a little lumpy before cooking.
Instructions for cooking
Note: A popover pan is recommended, although you can use a muffin pan (if using a smaller muffin pan, adjust the amount of batter used). Place 6 oz. of butter in a sauté pan set on medium high heat and melt, browning the butter slightly. Then place 1 tsp. in each cup of the popover pan. Place the pan in a 375° F oven for 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and fill each cup with 4 oz. of the popover batter. Place the pan back into the oven and bake for 25 minutes. Turn down the heat to 325° F and cook for 15 minutes more to dry out the popovers in the center.
Pull the popovers from the oven, remove from pan and allow to cool at room temperature.
Makes 18 popovers.