A Proper English Dinner

After the Thanksgiving meal, I usually prefer to go “light” for Christmas, with seafood.  This year, my nieces & nephews requested “comfort food” of either beef or turkey, as they all missed the Thanksgiving meal.  As soon as they were all in town, I hosted a prime rib dinner, which I billed as a “proper” English meal before our Christmas dinner; Yorkshire Pudding, anyone?~

The setting was our Guest House, with high beamed ceilings, English pub chairs and an English oak oval table~

The firebox is perfectly round, and the mantel is made of stone and ships’ timbers, including the keel; I borrowed the flowers from our Christmas table in the dining room for this evening; it was already cozy before the food arrived~

While the beef cooked, we prepared the Yorkshire pudding.  Do not be intimidated by this fine accompaniment to roast beef; I use a classic recipe that’s hard to mess up: crack four eggs into a measuring cup and look at the volume; add an equal volume of milk and then an equal volume of flour (sifting gets rid of the lumps).  Whisk all in a bowl, then let stand for at least 20 minutes~

In a muffin tin, add a spoonfull of beef fat and drippings to the bottom of each cup~

Pour the batter into each cup on top of the drippings; using a cup as shown is the neatest way to do this! Fill 2/3 full~

Bake hot at 425 degrees, and do not ever open the oven to peek! You will be rewarded with this, which you should serve ASAP prior to deflation~

Add in one British dog~

and a little tartan (these are actually old draperies I cut up with pinking shears; though they are 40 years old, despite the moth holes I love the Buchanan tartan linen, which Mum brought back from Canada a long time ago)~

the little knights came from London and NYC by me a long time ago and were lovely on the table next to the Buchanan~

When the food hit the table, the crowd got right to passing it around, and picking a few weights out of the napkins~

Multiple batches of Yorkshire Pudding helped sop up all the gravy; the plates were then inspected by the Norfolk Terrier Association of Dishwashers~

meanwhile the fireplace crackled and the conversation was just as lively~

Dessert was apple crumble, recipe to follow later~

with home made cinnamon ice cream~

My flight leaves in 11 hours for Paris, and I am packing while posting….wishing you all a lovely Christmas!