Roast Beef & Yorkshire Pudding
Nothing says the holidays more than being seated at the dinner table of my grandparents’ home surrounded by family on Christmas Day. My grandmother is first generation English (we call her our Nanny), and I still remember her table dressed beautifully with fine china, silver, crystal and the traditional Christmas crackers. Christmas crackers are small presents popped open before the meal to reveal a prize, quote—and the best part—a colored crown to be worn throughout the evening. The Yorkshire Pudding is the star of the meal and always goes quickly, so better to top your plate off with at least two helpings at a time.
- Courtney Smith Pulire: Co-Founder
Ingredients:
- 5 lb. tenderloin of beef
- Olive oil
- 1 tsp. salt
ENGLISH YORKSHIRE PUDDING:
- 1 tbsp. Crisco
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup flour
- ½ tsp. salt
- pinch of baking powder
WINE SAUCE:
- 1½ cups beef consommé
- 1 ¼ tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
- 1/3 cup Madeira wine
SPICE RUB:
- 1½ tsp. onion powder
- 1½ tsp. garlic powder
- 1½ tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. ground red pepper
- ½ tsp. ground cumin
- ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
Directions:
Roasting Beef:
Rub tenderloin with olive oil and coat with spice rub. Cover in a roasting pan, and chill for 8 hours overnight. Bring roast to room temperature. Bake in preheated 500° oven for 15 min. Lower the temp to 375° and continue to cook for 20 min more. Let stand for 10 min and slice. Combine beef consommé and melted butter in a saucepan and add cornstarch till it dissolves. Add in the Madeira wine, stirring over low heat until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Add the drippings from the roast to the sauce and stir.
English Yorkshire Pudding:
You must use a popover pan which has been generously greased with Crisco and heated for 5 minutes in 400° oven. Combine at room temperature, eggs, whole milk, flour, salt and pinch of baking powder with electric mixer. Immediately pour into prepared hot muffin tins filling about ½ full. Bake for 25-20 min. Resist the urge to open the oven door before the time is up, otherwise the Yorkshire pudding will flop.
This is one in a series of posts about our project, called The Table—a cookbook full of favorite recipes, and the images and stories that go with them, from each member of the Brandtatorship team past and present. From breakfasts to entrées, desserts to cocktails, we’ll be unveiling new recipes to this page throughout the year. If you'd like a cookbook, please contact us. In the meantime, pull up a chair. We’re glad to have you.
Photo credit: Rich Brainerd Studios