As promised in last week’s TOFU ST. JACQUES A LA BONNIE post, this week I’m writing about Mini Yorkshire Puddings, which were the container for this scrumptious dish. (Often, puff pastry shells are used, but who needs the fat and calories!)

Yorkshire Pudding is traditionally made in a large pan, using drippings from whatever roast you’re cooking. But the sides would became tall and crispy, while the large center sunk and was kind of flabby and tasteless. Since the best part of the pud is the crispy edge, baking Yorkshire Pudding in muffin tins has gained in popularity.

I tried different ratios of eggs to milk to flour, achieving the best texture for my palate.

I also experimented with shortening versus butter versus oil to grease the cups. Shortening won that contest – it yielded a crispier pudding.

The final variable was whether to flour the sides. It didn’t seem to matter that much – both versions were crispy, however, the floured ones were very slightly taller. Since flouring muffin tins is kind of a messy task, it wasn’t worth the effort to me.

NOTE: The batter needs to rest for at least 30 minutes before baking, so plan accordingly. They need to be served immediately.

MINI YORKSHIRE PUDDINGS – makes 12

• 4 eggs
• 1½ cup milk (I used nonfat)
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1½ cup all purpose flour
• 1 T vegetable oil

Into a bowl beat the eggs and milk. Whisk in the salt and flour until fairly smooth (some small flour lumps are acceptable). Place a plate over bowl and let rest for, at least, 30 minutes.

With rack in middle position, turn oven to 450º F.

While oven is heating, grease cups (sides and bottoms) of a 12-cup muffin tin with shortening.

In a small saucepan pour 1 T vegetable oil. As the oven gets close to 450º F, heat up the oil and drizzle it into the batter, whisking continuously. Pour batter into a container with a spout (such as a pitcher or measuring cup) to make it easier to fill the muffin cups. Fill each cup halfway to start, then go back and evenly divide the remaining batter amongst the cups.

When oven is at 450º F (don’t jump the gun!), put muffin tin in oven and set timer for 20 minutes. Do not open door!!! (The cool air will prompt the puds to deflate a bit.)

After 20 minutes, reduce temperature to 350º F and set timer for 7 minutes. Again – do not open door!!! Turn on oven light and peer through door to see if they’re well browned. If they look satisfactory, open door, pull out rack, and pierce tops with a skewer to allow steam to escape. Remove tin from oven and empty Yorkies into a bread basket.

Eat immediately – they’re at their best when fresh and hot. However, if you have leftovers, you can reheat them for a couple of minutes in a toaster oven (or standard oven, if you don’t have one).