Mini Yorkshire Puddings

Yorkshire puddings are a staple for a proper British Sunday roast, best enjoyed with gravy.
Popovers are a delightful treat for American breakfasts, slathered with butter and jam.

Quick quiz:  How does a Brit-erican couple figure out these two treasures are the same tasty treat?

Answer: One tasty brunch at the Cliff House, and one very confused Brit.  (Why would you have Yorkshire puddings for breakfast?!)

Since then, I've come to appreciate Yorkshire puddings as a Sunday evening treat.  I don't dig on gravy, so I stick with butter (and occasionally sneak in some orange marmalade).

Sadly, there was something about the normal muffin-sized puddings that was lacking in appeal for me.  I even went so far as to request there being sugar added to them one night (gasp!).  But it still wasn't right. 

Then I thought - hey, I just got these awesome tiny tins to make mini quiches, so why not use them for mini popovers (er, Yorkshire puddings). 

"Ooh, can we call them Yorkies?" 
"No."
"Why?"
"That's a dog."
"Oh."
"And a chocolate bar.  Not for girls."
"Oh. Right."

And voila: awesomeness.

These light, crispy. . . puddings. . . will knock your socks off!  You'll be so impressed with yourself at how they seem to defy all laws of gravity and architecture, that you'll want to show them off to everyone.  Just follow this recipe, and you'll achieve perfect results every time!

Step 1: Ingredients

To make about two dozen baby Yorkies, you'll need:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour  be sure to measure correctly!
• 1 cup milk
•  1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 cup vegetable oil

For baking tins, you can use traditional muffin/cupcake sized tins, or mini muffin pans, which produces a higher surface area - to - pudding ratio, which I prefer for its crispiness.  You can also make a traditional Yorkshire Pudding in one large cake tin.  Cooking times will vary.

Step 2: Eggs

Crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk until light and frothy.

Step 3: Add Milk and Salt

Stir in milk and salt, whisking breezily.

Step 4: Whisk in Flour

Measure flour carefully, and sift into egg mixture, a little at a time, whisking all along the way.

The goal is not just to mix the ingredients well, but also to incorporate a lot of air.  This helps make them so light and fluffy and tall!

Step 5: Let Sit

Let your ingredients come to room temperature while you preheat your oven to 425^oF (220C) and prepare the rest of your dinner!

Get your tins ready by swirling a small amount of oil into each one.

Step 6: Preheat Oiled Pans

Place the oiled tins in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes, until smoking.

Remove from the ovens to a burner on low heat.

Step 7: Bake Puddings

Spoon batter into the tins until they are each about 3/4 full.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until batter has risen high above the tins and they are as brown as you like them!

Step 8: Enjoy!

Just look how awesome they are!   I love these tiny ones because there's more crispy outside bits to them.

Now look at the second picture!  That's where the magic lives - in those deep, golden nooks and crannies. 

The only drawback to these mini Yorkshire puddings is that I consume at least twice as much of them as I would in their larger form.  Not that that's really a complaint. . .

Try them out and see!