Yorkshire Pudding

Yorkshire Pudding

Ingredients:
1/2 lb of plain white flour
1 pint of full cream milk
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 good tablespoons of
dripping from the beef
2 eggs

Method
Sift the salt and the flour into a large bowl or basin. Make a well in the center and break the eggs into it. Add a small amount of milk and stir in the flour. This should be a gradual process bringing the flour down from the sides and adding more milk as is nessesary.

You should end up with a stiff batter consistancy. Beat this well for about 5 minutes adding the rest of the milk. Cover and leave to stand for 30 minutes. Put the dripping into a large Yorkshire pudding tin. Heat this in the oven until the dripping is hot, as in smoking hot.

Quickly pour the batter in minding for hot splashes of dripping and place in the top of the oven. 425 F. or gas mark 7 until it is nicely browned on the top. Turn down the heat to 375 F. or gas mark 5 and continue cooking on the bottom of the oven for 10 - 15 mins. Serve with a good onion gravy.

Toad in the Hole

Toad in the Hole

1/4 cup of bacon dripping
1/2 cup milk
1 egg, well-beaten
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Fry sausages and lay them in the batter. Bake as for yorkshire pudding:
Temp: 450º F Time: 10 - 15 min. If you use a glass pie plate turn the heat down 25°F.

Combine a well-beaten egg and milk; beat till light. Gradually beat in sifted flour and salt; beat with dover beater till smooth. Let stand 30 minutes.

Put about 2 tablespoons bacon dripping into pan or divided up between 6 large muffin tins or into an 8"x8" pan. Heat in oven, make sure you watch pan as it will start to smoke! Pour batter into hot pan; and lay in your sausages. Serves 4.

The trick is the hot fat and the hot oven. Don't keep opening the oven to check. Serve immediately as it will deflate as it gets cold. Pour nice beef gravy over top.

Spotted Dick

Spotted Dick

4 ounces plain flour
4 ounces suet
4 ounces raisins
water, to mix

Mix the flour, currants and grated suet (it should have the general consistency of mouse droppings) very lightly by hand.

Moisten with a couple of tablespoons of cold water, enough to give a dryish pastry texture.
Stir to bind the ingredients together.

The mixture can be put into a buttered basin and covered with first a layer of foil, then a cloth (tied on with string), but the usual way is to make a thick roll shape, and wrap it in buttered greaseproof (waxed?) paper, and tie into a cloth.

Boil in a lot of water for two to three hours on top of the stove, or all day if using a crock pot.
To serve, slice it into 1" thick chunks while still hot.

Some people serve it with egg custard, but others consider serving spotted dick with moist brown sugar and a large spoonful of salted butter a must. Use both if you like.

Christmas Pudding

Christmas Pudding

Ingredients
l lb of each: raisins, currants, golden raisins, breadcrumbs, brown sugar
8oz Suet
4oz each: Mixed peel, glace cherries chopped, almonds chopped
1 each: Lemon - grate rind, orange - grate rind, carrot - grated, apple - grated
1 tbs Flour
1 tsp mixed spice
Pinch salt
6-8 Eggs
10oz stout (bottle) or dark beer (Guiness is good)
OR 5 ozs each brandy & milk.

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients first then mix with lightly beaten eggs & liquid. Grease the bottom of a bowl large enough to hold pudding and press mixture into it. Place wax paper over the top and then foil over that, crimping it around the edges to keep firm. Either cook for 2 hours in pressure cooker with about 2 inches water or put in pan with water on stove for 4 hours. Keep checking water in pan to prevent burning. Store well wrapped for as long as possible for better flavor. Some people make them one year to eat the next. Donated by sister Margaret Hawksley Serve with hot custard, cream, or brandy sauce.

Why steam for so long? Christmas puddings are quite dense because of all the fruit, nuts, etc. they contain. Steaming is the best method of cooking because it allows a slow cooking which ensures a moist and palatable result (cakes being less dense can cook for less time and still remain moist, so baking is the best method). If you used a faster cooking method for a Christmas pudding you would get a crusty pudding. A pudding steamed for 2 hours, rather than 4, would probably still have some uncooked mixture in the center. So, while the cooking time obviously depends on the size of the pudding. (This is when it is cooked on the stove - not the pressure cooker)

English Crumpets

English Crumpets 

7 1/8 ounces Strong white flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
3/8 cup Milk
2 1/8 teaspoons Dried yeast
1 pn Bicarb of Soda
Fat for frying

Strong white flour is the type bakers use for bread dough. High in gluten in makes a good risen batter or dough. In England we have 'Crumpet Rings' which are metal, about 3" in diameter. These are placed into a fry pan and act as moulds while the crumpet cooks. Crumpets can be anywhere between 2"and 5" in diameter.


Sift the flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Gently warm the milk to just hand hot and sprinkle on the dried yeast. Leave to stand for 10 or 15 minutes until frothy. Add the yeast mix to flour and beat to a smooth batter. Cover with a damp cloth and leave to stand in a warm place for 45 minutes, or the batter has doubled in size. Dissolve the bicarb in 15ml of warm water and beat it into the batter. Cover again and leave to stand for a further 20 minutes. Place a 3 inch metal pastry cutter into a hot greased fry pan. Pour in about table spoon of the batter to cover the base thinly. Cook until the top is set and the bubbles have burst. Remove it from the ring, turn the crumpet over and cook the other side for 2 or 3
minutes only. It should just colour slightly. Cool on a wire rack.

Clotted Cream

Clotted Cream

Ingredients:
2 Cups Heavy Cream

Directions:
Pour cream into a shallow pan. Heat the pan, gently, to about 82C (180F) and hold at this temperature for approximately 1 hour. When the surface cream has developed a thick, rich, yellow wrinkled crust, Turn off the heat and allow the pans to cool slowly.

Once cold, skim the cream off and serve with scones, fruit or fruit pies.