Yorkshire Pudding

Measure flour and salt into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Crack the eggs into the well and whisk them into the flour gradually, pulling in flour from the edges until a thick, lump-free paste forms — this is critical, because lumps introduced at the end never fully smooth out. Once the paste is smooth, pour in the milk in a thin stream, whisking constantly. The finished batter should be the consistency of single cream and absolutely smooth. Cover the bowl and rest it at room temperature for at least one hour, or up to overnight in the refrigerator. Resting lets the starch granules hydrate fully and the gluten relax, giving the batter elasticity without toughness.

Preheat the oven to 230 C (450 F) — this is not a suggestion, it is the entire reason Yorkshire puddings rise. Place a 12-cup tin or a large roasting tray in the oven with a teaspoon of dripping in each cup (or a generous pool in the tray). Heat the fat in the oven for at least 15 minutes, until it is shimmering, smoking lightly, and loud — you must hear it spit when a drop of batter hits it. The fat must be violently hot: it flash-steams the batter's liquid into a jet of steam that drives the rise before the structure sets.

Working with decisive speed, remove the searingly hot tin from the oven and set it on a heatproof surface. Pour the batter from a jug into each cup, filling each about one-third full. The batter should sizzle and immediately begin to cook around the edges on contact with the fat. Return the tin to the oven instantly — every second of delay costs rise. Bake at 230 C (450 F) for 20–25 minutes. Do not open the oven door for the first 15 minutes under any circumstances: a cold rush of air is enough to collapse them.