The best thing about American beef is the size and price - this 6lb roast cost only $12. And although it's a common misconception that American meet is riddled with hormones and steroids, FDA regulations actually control that pretty strictly. Chicken, for example, is completely free of that sort of thing.
Everything you need to make a great British roast is available, although we had to go to an organic market to buy the parsnips (which were big and delicious.) We did run into a major hurdle when I couldn't figure out the oven... I'm all up with the Imperial system when it comes to miles and inches and America's tiny little pint glasses... But Centigrade and Fahrenheit?
Our roast was slow cooked because I had it at 220 Fahrenheit rather than 220 Centigrade. Fortunately, as the photo proves, the roast came out delicious anyway.
And these big American ovens do make one thing easy - Yorkshire puddings! I finally, after years of practice, managed to make a half decent batch. The secret was in leaving the batter for a couple of hours, getting the pan and the oil smouldering, smoking hot and then shoving it into a really, really hot oven. They popped up beautifully and I'm confident they'll be even better the next time.
1 large egg
1/2 pint milk
1 cup flour
salt and pepper
Mix it all up really smooth and leave for a couple of hours.
Get a heavy muffin tin and add a tiny bit of oil (I used chicken fat) into each indentation. Place in a HOT oven (475 degrees) for about five minutes until the oil is smoking hot.
Add a generous gloop of mixture into each muffin hole (a little more than half full) and return to the oven as quickly as possible. Then LEAVE it for 20 minutes, not letting ANYBODY open the oven the have a peek (one thing the mother in law is very prone to.) If you loose the heat, the puddings won't pop up.
Take out when they're plump and crisp and golden - Robert is your Father's Brother!
Hopefully there will be a next time. Cooking was a lot of fun. So was the meal afterwards.
One of the nicest things about England was going to Sunday dinner with the Carruthers. Tina and I have ambitions to carry over the tradition of the good old Sunday roast to New Jersey. I wonder if it will catch on?
1 comment:
i never had yorkshire pudding until i started spending time in canada. it's gooooood.
Post a Comment