Last night my husband cooked Prime Rib, which is probably my favorite preparation of beef. So tender, and so easy to make - you just season it, cook at 450 for 15 minutes, and then at 325 for an hour or two, depending on how many ribs you are cooking. One important thing is that it is best served rare, so the high temperature at the beginning creates a nice sear, and the middle is left rare and tender.
I made some roasted herbed potatoes, and thought I would break in my new popover pan by making some Yorkshire puddings. I love Yorkshire pudding, but rarely have it in this country - it is the fare of a traditional Sunday pub meal in the UK, and makes the perfect accompaniment to juicy roast beef. Traditionally, the fat used in the pan would be the drippings from the meat, but I used salted butter and they came out just fine. If you have a small oven like I do, you can start them when the beef comes out and is resting, and they will be done by the time it is carved.
The batter is similar to pancake batter, and couldn't be easier - the ratio is 1:1:1, so you can halve it or double it as needed. I used the same method as for popovers - make the batter a couple of hours ahead of time and refrigerate. They came out big and beautiful, and the recipe made about 12 total. The outside is crisp, and the inside is like custard, and if you have leftovers, they are great for breakfast the next day.
Yorkshire Pudding
- 1 C. plain flour
- 1 C. egg (about 4-5 eggs)
- 1 C. milk
- salt
- salted butter
Combine the ingredients and beat with a mixer or by hand until the batter is smooth. Put in the refrigerator for an hour or two.
Put a generous pat of butter on the bottom of a muffin tin or popover pan, or use pan drippings.
Put the pan in the oven until the fat is melted and bubbling.
Take out the pan and quickly fill each cup about halfway with batter. Return the pan to the oven.
Bake for about 20 minutes until they have risen up and are brown and crispy on the outside.
