Saturday, April 14, 2012

Weekend Cooking: Yorkshire Pudding

For this week's Weekend Cooking I am sharing a portion of two letters that appear in Helene Hanff's 84 Charing Cross Road, a lovely little book that many book lovers would definitely enjoy if they read it. The book is a collection of letters that have traversed the Atlantic Ocean starting when Helene Hanff starts ordering rare and unusual books from Marks & Co that was located at 84 Charing Cross Road and a correspondence begins between the author and the staff of Marks. Incidentally, the building at that address is now a Pizza Hut which seems a little bit wrong really!

There are quite a few discussions about food within the pages of the book, particularly emphasising the difference in the post-war food situation between Britain and America. Here, Cecily shares the recipe for Yorkshire Pudding with Helene.

Yorkshire Pudding seems to me to be a quintessentially British dish. There are lots of other foods that we probably think of in that way, but that does get eaten the world over (an example is fish and chips), but the only times I have eaten Yorkshire Pudding was when I was in the UK or when I ate roast meals at people who have British heritage.

A good yorkshire pudding served up with roast beef, crispy roast potatoes and sweet roasted carrots smothered in lashings in gravy is really delicious! Oh my goodness, I am making myself hungry just thinking about it!

Eastcote
Pinner
Middlesex

20-2-51

Helene my dear -

There are many ways of doing it but Mummy and I think this is the simplest for you to try. Put a cup of flour, an egg, a half cup of milk and a good shake of salt into a large bowl and beat altogether until it is the consistency of thick cream. Put in the frig for several hours. (It's best if you make it in the morning.) When you put your roast in the oven, put in an extra pan to heat. Half an hour before your roast is done, pour a bit of the roast grease into the baking pan, just enough to cover the bottom will do. The pan must be very hot. Now pour the pudding in and the roast and pudding will be ready at the same time.

I don't know quite how to describe it to someone who has never seen it, but a good Yorkshire Pudding will puff up very high and brown and crisp and when you cut into it you will find that it is hollow inside.

Love

Cecily


14 East 95th St.

February 25, 1951

Dear Cecily

Yorkshire Pudding out of this world, we have nothing like it, I had to describe it to somebody as a high, curved, smooth, empty waffle.

Best -

Helene


Before I finish for this week, I just wanted to add that this week I made a Weekend Cooking recipe that someone else put up last weekend. I made the Strawberry Lemonade muffins that were posted by Anita from A Woman, a Wife, a Mom, and they were absolutely delicious! I will definitely be making them again!


Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. For more information, see the welcome post.

34 comments:

  1. Great post Marg. It is a wonderful book and the DVD is just as good. (Have you watched it yet?) I would agree that Yorkshire puddings are typically had with Roast beef, although I tend to cook them with any roast!

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    1. I am just about to go and watch it now - my Saturday night viewing!

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  2. I love this book, I've read it a number of times and seen the play years ago when MTC put it on.

    When we were in London in 2001 we walked Charing Cross Road looking for the address with zero luck.

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  3. Actually, I've just googled it using street view and came across something really uselessly interesting. If you look at the address straight on it's a Ladbrokes, if you go back one click it's a pizza place. The images were taken about a year apart.

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    1. Last I heard it was a pizza place! Seems a shame really but still. If I ever get to London again I would like to do the walk down Charing Cross Road

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  4. Yummmm. The only time I've had Yorkshire pudding since leaving the UK is Christmas dinner with our Brit friends who always make it with the roast, potatoes, and carrots. Seriously good.

    I loved that book and the movie. I can't remember if I walked down Charing Cross Rd when I lived in London, but I would definitely make the effort next time.

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    1. I will definitely make the effort to do that walk if I ever get to London again too!

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  5. roast beef, crispy roast potatoes and sweet roasted carrots smothered in lashings in gravy... oh, my, that sounds delicious.
    I made yorkshire pudding once, and it really is not hard, which makes me wonder why I never made it again.

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    1. I haven't ever made it! I should be brave and try although to be fair I don't often do a full roast just for the two of us.

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  6. I have had Yorkshire Pudding a couple of times, it is very yummy!
    Have you read the sequel to this?

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    1. I haven't yet Rikki, but I do have it here to read soon.

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  7. I've never had Yorkshire pudding,but it sounds delicious. I walk by building in my neighborhood that has a plaque on the outside about Charing Cross Road; I think it's where Helen lived.

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    1. It is delicious! How awesome that you live in that area!

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  8. I read "84 Charing Cross Road" more than once, but have never seen the movie. My mom used to make us Yorkshire Pudding, but I have never made it. Now that I have a recipe, I will have to give it a try :)

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    1. Will be interested to see your results if you do make it.

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  9. I so want to read 84 Charing Cross Road. It sounds like such a charming book. I'm trying to wrap my head around Yorkshire pudding! Never heard of such a thing. Will have to do some searching around!

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    1. Trish, it is very charming, and because it is letters it is a very quick read. I would recommend it

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  10. Sounds like a wonderful book, I haven't read or seen the movie, will have to check it out. I love Yorkshire pudding though.

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  11. Yorkshire Puddings are something so easy I can not make them. They never turn out right. The supermarkets here do them ready done, either in the fresh meat isle (along from joints of beef!) or in the freezer section. I usually buy fresh ones and freeze them! 4 mins at 200c and they are great!

    A pub quite close to us used to serve a large Yorkshire Pudding with a roast inside. Now I have thought of that I could eat it - if we go out over the next few weeks I will order it (if still on the menu) and take a photo!

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    1. Julie, I have had one of those roast dinners before.

      Someone I know makes them in muffin tins so that everyone gets a small one each.

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  12. A Pizza Hut? Say it isn't so! I adored that book, and have not seen the movie in years-but thanks to you I have a hankering to see it again. I did Yorkshire Puddings a few Christmases ago with our Roast. They reminded me of a popover!
    *smiles*

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    1. Apparently it is a pizza shop. Doesn't quite seem right does it!

      Now I will have to go and find out what a popover is.

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  13. It does sound good, though I haven't tried it.

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    1. It's yum, so if you ever do get a chance I would say try it!

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  14. that book was just great. Thanks for reminding me about it.

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  15. I made Yorkshire pudding once a couple of decades ago--maybe from this book, because that process sure sounds familiar! It was good!

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    1. How fun is it to make something because you read it in a book?

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  16. I always thought Yorkshire pudding was hard to make. This recipe sounds fairly easy to do. I'm going to put roast beef on the menu just so I can try the pudding.

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    1. I have never made it myself but I think that getting the temperature right is pretty key!

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  17. Strawberry lemonade muffins sound great! I have to check that out :)

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  18. Oh, no! That's the second time I've seen mention of those muffins!!! LOL Yorkshire pudding doesn't sound at all like I expected. Funny, especially since I've read that book. I suppose because I don't cook much that part went right over my head.

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  19. I've never had Yorkshire Pudding. Well it's something I haven't eaten yet. Maybe this winter? It does sound delicious.

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