Traditional Yorkshire puddings, like popovers and soufflés, rely on eggs and dairy for their crowning puff and custardy center. Vegan cooks use neither, so this savory recipe is a particularly impressive workaround by Mary McCartney, who stopped eating meat in the late 1970s when her parents, Paul and Linda, be came vegetarians and activists. The structure here comes from protein-rich chickpea flour and aquafaba, Italian for “chickpea water,” and the rise from baking powder and cider vinegar. The recipe needs to be followed closely for best results, particularly the oven temperature, the material and size of the muffin tin (metal and standard 3-ounce cups) and the amount of oil in each cup.
Vegan Yorkshire Puddings
Ingredients:
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup chickpea flour (gram flour)
• 3 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• Vegetable oil, such as grape seed or canola, for the muffin tin
Directions:
Drain the chickpeas, reserving 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon aquafaba (chickpea liquid). (Reserve the chickpeas and any remaining liquid for another use.)
In a large pitcher or bowl, whisk the aquafaba, vinegar and 1 1/2 cups/350 milliliters water together. Sift the all-purpose flour, chickpea flour and baking powder into a medium bowl. Add the salt and whisk together.
Pour the combined liquids into the dry ingredients and whisk together until smooth and bubbly, about 30 seconds. Pour back into the pitcher and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
While the batter chills, heat oven to 425 degrees.
Using a standard 12-cup metal muffin tin (with 1/2-cup cavities), preferably nonstick, add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil to each of 9 cups. About 10 minutes before the batter is done chilling, place the oiled tin in the hot oven to heat.
Carefully remove the muffin tin from the oven. Stir the batter and pour into the muffin cups; the batter should sizzle vigorously as you add it, and each cup should be nearly full. Return to the oven.
Bake for 30 minutes. The puddings will rise, then fall, possibly making a well on the top. Turn down the heat to 400 degrees and bake about 10 minutes more, or until the tops are deep golden brown and the insides are cooked through and just dry (peer into the well to check; the inside should be matte, not shiny). Remove from the oven, let the puddings rest for about 3 minutes, then use a spoon or spatula to lift from the tin and serve immediately.
Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes; makes 9 popovers.
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