Baked

Well hello everyone! How was your Christmas? I've spent the last 6 days bed or couch bound due to a Yuletide cold/flu (what is the difference anyway?). I did pop out to my mom's for Christmas day, but that was it. Hope you managed to breeze through the holiday bug free!

I tried out a recipe for our New Year's Eve get together. Yum. Have you made yorkshire pudding before? I grew up eating it pretty much every Sunday, but only recently starting making them myself.  I thought I'd make mini ones, then top them with a mushroom compote along with a little gruyere cheese. Bite (maybe two!) size and perfect for a cocktail party.

Mini Yorkshire Pudding with Mushroom Compote - makes about 24

1 cup + 2 tablespoons milk
4 oz all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs, beaten
about 1/3 cup vegetable oil for mini muffin tin

Mushroom Compote: You might want to double this recipe. I did.

4.5 oz mixed mushrooms, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1.5 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 tablespoons red wine
3 tablespoons olive oil

To make yorkshire pudding: Preheat oven to 425f. In a medium bowl, sift together flour and salt. Make a   well in the flour mixture, and whisk in the 3 beaten eggs. Add the milk, a bit at a time, while whisking away. Your batter should be a little thicker than unwhipped whipping cream. Refrigerate batter for 30 minutes.

12 minutes before you take out your batter, place 1/4 teaspoon vegetable oil in each cup of the mini muffin tin. Place in oven and heat until it smokes, about 12 minutes. Take pan out of oven and place on a stove top element/flame set on low (I do this so the oil stays as hot as possible while I pour batter into tin cups). Put one tablespoon of batter in each cup, working quickly, then place back in oven. Your oil really needs to be super hot, so the puddings rise high and are light and airy.

Allow to cook for 15-20 minutes, until puffed high and golden brown. Really try not to open the oven door while cooking, as they may flatten. Place on a wire rack to cool.

To make compote: In a large pan, on medium low, heat up your oil, then add onion and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms, red wine and thyme, and cook for another 10 minutes.

To assemble: Warm up yorkshire puddings in a 350f/180c oven for about 5 minutes. Top with a small piece of gruyere and a spoonful of the compote.

I'm definitely going to make these for the party. Pretty easy and, if you're not shooting the process, or getting over a yuletide bug, it takes no time at all. ;)

Back soon!

Janis