Rising star

Sharon Griffiths has the perfect recipes.

It melts in the mouth, like the snow in the sunshine

As light as a maiden’s first kiss,

As soft as the fluff on the breast of a dove...

Then the angel jumped up and said ‘Gimme the bowl...

Flour and watter and eggs, salt an’ all,

And I’ll show thee how we make puddens in Heaven

For Peter and Thomas and Paul.’

ACCORDING to a Stanley Holloway monologue, written by Weston and Lee, the first Yorkshire puddings were made by an angel.

Maybe they still need an angel’s touch. Yorkshire puddings are devilish tricky to get right. How can something so simple be so complicated?

For all those who have struggled, here is the answer.

A small book devoted entirely to Yorkshire puddings – just in time for Yorkshire Pudding Day tomorrow.

There are other surprises – Mrs Beeton, for instance, might have known a lot, but she didn’t know her puddings. Her recipe didn’t insist on the hottest possible oven. She cooked her puds for an hour and a half. Kind critics blame it on her being a Southerner.

The first time a Yorkshire pudding was so named was by Hannah Glasse in 1747. Dripping puddings have no doubt been around for centuries, but it was Yorkshire that claimed them as its own.

Yorkshire writer Elaine Lemm edits the New York Times website about British and Irish food.

The section on Yorkshire puddings is the most visited page on the site.

“Sunday lunch with Yorkshire puddings was an intrinsic part of my childhood. It never crossed my mind that anyone couldn’t make them,” she says.

When she began researching for her book, she thought she might find a definitive answer. No chance.

“Everyone has an opinion about the origins, folklore, the making, the cooking and serving of the puds. I asked fellow members of the Guild of Food Writers and began one of the longest forum postings I have ever seen.”

Elaine’s perfect pud

Serves six

4large fresh eggs, measured in a jug

Equal quantity of milk to eggs

Equal quantity of plain flour to eggs

Pinch of salt

Lard, beef dripping or vegetable oil for cooking

Heat the oven to the highest temperature possible but not above 230C/450F/Gas 8, or the fat might burn.

Pour the eggs and milk into a large mixing bowl and add the salt. Whisk thoroughly until foamy.

Leave to stand for about ten minutes to allow the bubbles to subside.

Sieve the flour into the milk and egg mixture and beat again to create a lump free batter resembling thick cream. Finally pass the batter through a sieve into another bowl or jug.

Leave the batter to rest for at least 30 minutes up to a couple of hours, the longer the better.

Place a pea-sized piece of lard, dripping or ½ tsp vegetable oil in a Yorkshire pudding or muffin tin and heat in the oven until the fat is smoking. Give the batter another good whisk, adding two tsp cold water and fill a third of each section of the tin with batter and return quickly to the oven.

Leave to cook until risen and golden brown, approximately 20 minutes.

And if you fancy something sweet...

Caramelised Apple Yorkshire Pudding

1 tbsp butter

1tbsp golden caster sugar

1 Bramley apple peeled, cored and quartered

1 quantity of Yorkshire pudding batter

Make the Yorkshire pudding batter and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.

Melt the sugar in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the sugar, stir until it dissolves, then turn up the heat and boil the butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Do not stir during this time, simply shake the pan to prevent the sauce from sticking.

Slice the apple quarters to the thickness of a £1 coin. Once the sauce is cooked, lower the heat back to medium and add the apple slices in a single layer in the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes, turn the slices over and cook for another 2-3 minutes. The apple slices should be golden and sticky. Remove from the heat and keep to one side.

Heat the oven to the highest temperature, but not exceeding 230C/450F/Gas 8.

Place a pea-sized bit of lard, dripping or vegetable oil into four individual Yorkshire pudding, or 18cm Victoria sandwich tins and heat in the oven until the fat is smoking.

Remove the tins from the oven, divide the apple slices between them. Give the batter another whisk, adding two tbsp cold water and fill a third of the tin with batter and return quickly to the oven. Cook for 20-25 minutes or until the pudding is risen and golden.

Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream.

OUR VERDICT: Heavenly.

* The Great Book of Yorkshire Pudding by Elaine Lemm, (Great Northern Books, £7.99) greatnorthernbooks.co.uk