Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding
A large piece of beef roasted pink at the heart, its golden crust, served with those little salted soufflés cooked in the roast's drippings: Yorkshire puddings, which puff up like magic in the oven.
A large piece of beef roasted pink at the heart, its golden crust, served with those little salted soufflés cooked in the roast's drippings: Yorkshire puddings, which puff up like magic in the oven.
Good evening. They think I'm obsessed with crime; they're wrong, I'm above all obsessed with lunch. Look at this piece of beef: I want it rare, almost scandalous, because overcooked meat is a suspense that deflates. The secret of Yorkshire pudding, take it from a man of my girth, is smoking hot fat and an oven you NEVER open before the hour — impatience, like in cinema, ruins everything. And when it all arrives at the table golden and trembling, I confess: it's the only time I truly like blood.
- •Rib of beef on the bone — a fine piece (centerpiece roast)
- •Beef dripping — a few tablespoons (pudding fat)
- •Flour — a bowl (pudding batter)
- •Eggs — a few (binder and leavening)
- •Milk — enough (batter)
- •Salt, pepper, horseradish — to taste (seasoning and condiment)
Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding
A large piece of beef roasted pink at the heart, its golden crust, served with those little salted soufflés cooked in the roast's drippings: Yorkshire puddings, which puff up like magic in the oven.
Why this dish? Sunday roast beef is the heart of Hitchcock's English identity. When he became a Hollywood star, he had meats and cheeses shipped from England to recapture the taste of home, and hosted grand London-style dinners at his table. His waistline — which he silhouetted in his title sequence — said enough about his love of rare beef.
Good evening. They think I'm obsessed with crime; they're wrong, I'm above all obsessed with lunch. Look at this piece of beef: I want it rare, almost scandalous, because overcooked meat is a suspense that deflates. The secret of Yorkshire pudding, take it from a man of my girth, is smoking hot fat and an oven you NEVER open before the hour — impatience, like in cinema, ruins everything. And when it all arrives at the table golden and trembling, I confess: it's the only time I truly like blood.
Ingredients (period version)
- Rib of beef on the bone — a fine piece (centerpiece roast)
- Beef dripping — a few tablespoons (pudding fat)
- Flour — a bowl (pudding batter)
- Eggs — a few (binder and leavening)
- Milk — enough (batter)
- Salt, pepper, horseradish — to taste (seasoning and condiment)
Ingredients
- Rib of beef — 1.5 kg (3-4 bones) (centerpiece roast)
- Beef dripping or neutral oil — 4 tbsp (pudding fat)
- All-purpose flour — 150 g (pudding batter)
- Eggs — 3 (binder and leavening)
- Whole milk — 200 ml (batter)
- Salt, freshly ground pepper — to taste (seasoning)
- Horseradish cream — for serving (condiment)
Method
- Remove the beef from the fridge 1 hour before cooking; season generously with salt and pepper.
- Sear the meat on all sides in a very hot roasting pan, then roast at 220°C: about 15 minutes, then 15 minutes per 500 g at 180°C for medium-rare.
- Prepare the Yorkshire batter: whisk flour, eggs, milk, and a pinch of salt until smooth as cream; let rest 30 minutes.
- Remove the roast, wrap in foil, and let rest 20 minutes (crucial step).
- Increase oven to 230°C. Pour a little fat into muffin tins and heat until smoking.
- Pour the batter into the hot fat and bake 20-25 minutes WITHOUT opening the oven, until puddings are puffed and golden.
- Slice the beef, serve with Yorkshire puddings, deglazed pan juices, and horseradish cream.
How it was made : Roast beef was once spit-roasted before a great fire, the fat dripping into a pan; underneath they baked a batter that caught the juices — the ancestor of Yorkshire pudding, first served alone BEFORE the meat to fill modest stomachs.
The contemporary twist : For a Hitchcockian touch, plate a single thick slice, isolated in the center of the plate under a raking light: the prime suspect.
Sources : Jane Grigson, English Food, 1974 · Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, 1861 · Patrick McGilligan, Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light, 2003
Alfred Hitchcock · Charactorium