Gordon Ramsay is a believer that this is the secret to perfect yorkshire puddings and I have to agree. My childhood classics included spag bol and roast lamb but yorkshire pud is something I've come to later in life. Light modern dishes have their place but quite frankly I like a bit of stodge and fat.
Having the afternoon off, I decided to put on a small dinner party. I don't have any heirloom recipes to turn to but thanks to Ed I've got Gordon to guide the way. As always I've tainted it sufficiently to not worry about Gordon's IP rights.
Roast Beef and Red Wine Gravy
1 kg scotch fillet
2 tbsp olive oil
6 garlic cloves
1/3 bottle red wine
1 cup stock
Heat the oven to 200C. Place garlic cloves still in their skins and a little olive oil in your
roasting pan while you sear the beef. That way when you transfer the meat to the pan it will develop a wonderful crust upon hitting that hot oil. Season the beef well and sear in on the stovetop with a little olive oil to brown on each side- about 4 mins. Transfer to oven and roast for 20 mins per 450g for medium.
When the beef is cooked transfer to a warm plate to rest, lightly covered with foil while you make the yorkshire puddings and gravy.
Using the roasting juices, pour off the excess fat and place over medium heat. Mash the garlic cloves gently before removing skins. Scrape off the treasures from the bottom of the pan. Add the wine and bring to simmer. Add
the stock and allow to bubble for around 10 minutes until reduced by half. Strain out garlic and check seasoning.
Yorkshire Puddings
Makes 6 muffin size puddings
110g plain flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs beaten
150ml milk
2 tbsp fat
Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Add the beaten eggs and half the milk. Beat until smooth then add remaining milk.
Put the oven up to 230C and place 1tsp of fat in each muffin hole. Pop in the oven until the fat is almost smoking. Give the batter a final mix.
Whip out the tray and quickly fill each hole until almost full. Sizzling sounds are good! Immediately place it back in the oven and bake 15-20 minutes until the puddings are risen, golden and crisp. Don't open the oven to check lest they collapse!
Roast Potatoes
4-6 King Edward potatoes peeled and cut into thirds
fat (preferably goose)
garlic cloves
salt
rosemary
Parboil the potatoes for a few minutes. Drain well and roughen up with a thorough shaking or use a fork to create lots of rough textured surfaces. Season well.
Place fat in a hot tray and pop in a hot oven- around 230C although you could cook it with the beef if necessary. Remove fat laden tray when almost smoking and quickly pop in potatoes and a few whole garlic cloves- watch out for splattering fat- lethal stuff!
Pop tray back in oven and bake 30-45 mins depending on how large your potatoes are. Add rosemary sprigs only for the last 10-15 mins to avoid shards of burnt rosemary.
Carve beef thinly and serve with gravy, potatoes and yorkshire puddings. Add greens of choice- I love lemony green beans to cut through the richness and peas for something a little sweet. Tonight I added a little roast pumpkin and green beans.
I know most people don't need to be told how to make a roast dinner but sometimes it's nice to be reminded that we should make them more often.
7 comments:
This looks delicious! Yorkshire pudding is an art form that is disappearing in Australia. I often struggle to make both Yorkshire and gravy because modern cuts of beef don't have the enough fat on them.
I always put the pudding batter in the fridge.
Thanks very much Anon :)
Will try the fridge next time and report back.
I'm pretty sure I just drooled on my keyboard.
just the desired effect anon :)
I made something similar recently but I had a larger piece of beef which I slathered in a paste made with ghee, duck fat, garlic, smashed anchovies, mustard seeds soaked in balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, fresh thyme, rosemary and oregano, which I had refrigerated.
The Yorkshire Pud I make 24hours in advance. You actually should make it at least an hour in advance and I add fresh herbs and some powdered Keens mustard to the mix. Keep it in the fridge until you're ready to use it, then stir before pouring out.
For the gravy I use home made master stock with star anise infused port and a little sugar. Then at the end I strain the pan juices into the mix and thicken the lot.
The crusty bits of mustard, herbs and garlic that fall off the meat become a relish that has taken up some of the cooking juices. It's a plate licking combination.
Just discovered your blog via Foodie Blog Roll...and have to tell you I add approx 1/4 cup iced water to my Yorkshire Pud recipe just before I pour the mix into the smoking fat! AWESOME results...love hot fat too!
Great tips on the Yorkshire pudding - it's something I've been thinking about "bringing back" for a while! Might feature it on our winter menu next year in fact...
Post a Comment