So many people put up their Christmas trees yesterday (myself included). My social media feeds were nothing but sparkling lights and shining baubles. I guess that shouldn’t surprise me, December 1st seems widely regarded as the official start of the Christmas season.
Makes sense- day 1 of our advent calendars. This year I got Colin a Beer Advent Calendar from one of our popular local micro-breweries. Not that I needed a reason, but the logic followed that neither of us are much for chocolate and, as we’re in that very special DINK stage of life (Dual Income, No Kids), we have no real responsibilities that can’t be done a little bit drunk.
A tad excessive? Probably.
But hey, ’tis the season!
‘Tis the season of comfort food. Bacon jam. Gift baskets. Christmas baking. And yes, conspicuous day drinking.
‘Tis not the season for moderation, but by god, I will try. My body already hurts thinking about it and as I stare down yet another birthday on December 28th, I fear my body is starting to become less forgiving about these things.
Then again, if you can’t enjoy a piping hot Yorkshire pudding slathered in hearty gravy during the Yuletide, when can you?
All things considered, this dish isn’t really all that bad for you. I mean I could add some bacon jam to it… no! Stop trying to make things unhealthy, Finn! (I did make a big batch of bacon jam this weekend, though…)
The mushroom red onion gravy I like to make with my Yorkies is dead easy as it doesn’t require meat drippings or straining or even a traditional roux. It comes together in a snap and is foolproof, even for those usually intimidated by tackling gravy (ahem, me).
If you use veggie stock in place of beef or chicken it’s also vegetarian, making it a crowd pleaser for big family events and parties.
As far as the Yorkies go, I cannot take full credit, this is my Dad’s tried and true winner of a recipe- always light, fluffy and fully risen Yorkies. They have never failed me yet.
As I mentioned in my About Us write up, my Dad was the one who originally taught me how to cook and he continues to amaze me with his unique approach to food that somehow manages to be both scientific and improvisational- two things which seem mutually exclusive. He is a truly talented hobby chef and I continue to learn from every time I see him (which, I must say, is not nearly often enough, despite being only a ferry ride away).
| Yorkshire Puddings with Easy Mushroom & Red Onion Gravy | | Print |
- Yorkshire Puddings:
- 1 ½ c. flour
- 1 ¼ c. milk
- 4 eggs
- 2 Tbsp cold water
- 1 level teaspoon salt
- Beef fat, duck fat or vegetable oil
- .
- Mushroom Red Onion Gravy:
- ½ a red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 12 crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Tbsp plain flour
- 1 cup red wine
- 1¼ cup chicken, beef or vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- For the gravy, heat a glug of olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft.
- Add mushrooms and thyme to the onion pan and stir. Sprinkle 1 heaped tablespoon of flour into the pan and stir to coat everything.
- Add the red wine and turn the heat up, bringing everything to a boil and reducing the wine to almost nothing. Add the chicken stock, stir, and simmer until thickened.
- Now start your yorkies. Add salt to flour and blend.
- Add milk and mix. It should drop easily from a spoon, but not be too runny.
- Add eggs and beat. I always do this by hand using a whisk. Using an electric mixer is totally unnecessary and a waste of our precious energy resources.
- Add cold water. The mixture should still be fairly thick.
- Put enough fat or oil in a muffin tin to cover the bottom. Be sure it gets really hot! I often preheat the muffin tin before adding the fat/oil to ensure it is hot enough.
- Pour mixture into muffin tin and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. They should be nice and fairly dark brown and very poofy.
- Keep the yorkies warm until you eat them and that way they won’t collapse or, ideally, serve them immediately, heaped with gravy.
This sounds lovely. Going to give this a go. thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
I have made this at least 4x this year since I made it for NYE 2019. I love, love this recipe. Thanks for sharing!