In junior highschool when I was 12, I took my first home-ec class. Being a Canadian school, I was first taught to follow recipes with basic metric measurements (millilitres and litres). Once the class got to grips with metric, we moved on to learning American recipes using cups. I can remember being instructed to fill the 1 cup with flour, then tap it on the table to help the flour settle, top up with more flour if necessary and then level it using the flat side of a knife to ensure accuracy.
Canadian recipes included both cups and metric measurements together, but they rarely - if ever - called for ingredients to be weighed on scales. I cannot recall ever needing a scale before moving to the UK.
So, imagine my surprise when Bee Wilson opens her(Consider the Fork) on measurement by tearing to pieces the American cups system! Invented by Fannie Farmer, a cook who claimed “Correct measurements are absolutely necessary to ensure the best results.” However, Wilson argues that ‘a cup of flour may vary in weight from around 4 to 6 ounces, just by changing the degree to which the flour is sifted and airy or tamped down. This makes the difference between a cake that works and one that doesn’t.’
1 cup = 4 to 6 ounces.
She continues: ‘The wonderful thing about weighing is that you do not have to worry about density: 100 g of brown sugar is still 100 g whether it is tightly packed or fluffy.’
I’m not going to disagree. In fact, that simple statement has got me wondering why, at 12 years old I was taught to measure ½ cup (125ml) of butter by using the displacement method. Surely, measuring 115g of butter on a scale is easier (and less messy) than that!?
I might be convinced to bring out my scale more frequently when cooking, but the cups won’t disappear altogether. In fact, I’ve adapted a familiar British recipe to accommodate both approaches to measuring food: Yorkshire Puddings with a Canadian twist.
In the 15 years that I have lived in England, I have never made a batch of Yorkshire Puddings. But there’s one thing I have picked up from my husband who makes them occasionally: the batter is made of roughly equal parts - eggs, milk and flour - in volume not weight.
The other thing I know about Yorkshire puddings is that it can be made sweet. And this is where the Canadian influence comes in. I decided to make my first ever batch of Yorkshires with apple cinnamon on the bottom and top it with maple sauce.
Oh yeah, and it’s measured in cups, except the butter, which I’ve weighed in grams (see above for the reason why!). The recipe should be straight-forward enough even for those who are unfamiliar with the quirky American measurements.
Yorkshire Pudding Recipe
- ½ cup of eggs (3 medium eggs)
- ½ cup flour
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 granny smith apple, sliced thinly into small pieces
- ¾ cup (12 tbsp) soft brown sugar / light muscavado sugar
- 170g butter, softened
- Cinnamon
- Cream to serve
preheat oven to 220°C
In a glass measuring jug, crack open the eggs to measure approximately ½ cup (I used 3 medium eggs and it was just above the ½ cup mark). Carefully pour these into a separate bowl.
In the measuring jug, carefully put ½ cup flour (to be very precise, a pinch of flour can be tossed against the back of the measuring jug to create a line where the eggs leveled). Tap the bottom of the jug against the countertop to get a level measurement. Pour the flour in with the eggs.
The measuring jug now has a clear floury line at (or near) the ½ cup mark. Pour in the milk up to the same level. Add this to the flour and eggs.
Add 1 tsp vanilla extract. Whisk briskly until smooth and let it sit for 15 minutes.
In a deep muffin pan, add to each muffin cup: 1 dollop of butter, 1 tbsp of soft brown sugar, a few sliced apples, a pinch of cinnamon.
When the batter has sat for nearly 15 minutes, put the muffin tin in the hot oven for 3-4 minutes to melt the butter (don’t leave it too long or the butter will burn).
Open the oven door and pour batter as quickly as possible, filling each cup half full. Cook for 10 minutes. Don’t open the oven door to peek or the yorkshire puds might deflate.
While they’re cooking, prepare the Maple Sauce (below).
Maple Sauce Recipe
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup cream
- 57 g butter
- pinch of salt
Melt the maple syrup, butter, cream and salt on a medium heat. Bring to a boil. Let it boil briskly for 1 minute and then remove it from the heat immediately.
To serve:
Serve the yorkshire puddings hot from the oven with a good helping of maple sauce. If that isn’t indulgent enough, add some cream or ice cream.