Feb 18, 2025
0 International meals

Worldwide Food Tour – England

A Dish Born from Frugality and Tradition

Few dishes in British cuisine are as cherished and steeped in tradition as Yorkshire pudding. Though humble in its ingredients, this golden, airy delight is an essential component of a traditional Sunday roast dinner in England. Originally devised as a way to make the most of a meager pantry, Yorkshire pudding has become a symbol of British culinary ingenuity, transforming simple batter into a crispy-yet-pillowy accompaniment.

Hailing from Yorkshire in northern England, this dish has been enjoyed for centuries, evolving from a frugal side dish to a nationally beloved comfort food. Whether served with roast beef and gravy, as part of a full meal, or even as a dessert with jam, Yorkshire pudding is a testament to the versatility of British cooking.

The History: A Clever Way to Stretch a Meal

Yorkshire pudding has its roots in the 18th century, when it was first recorded as “dripping pudding.” Before ovens had regulated temperatures, large joints of meat were roasted on spits over an open fire, with fat and juices dripping down into a pan placed below. Cooks in Yorkshire realized that if they poured a simple batter of flour, eggs, and milk into that pan, it would puff up and become a satisfying, crispy, and slightly chewy dish—perfect for filling up hungry diners before the costly meat was served.

The earliest known recipe appeared in Hannah Glasse’s 1747 cookbook, “The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy,” where it was officially named Yorkshire Pudding. Over time, the dish became a staple across England, particularly as a companion to roast beef in a traditional Sunday roast.

The importance of Yorkshire pudding in British culture is so profound that in 2008, the Royal Society of Chemistry even declared that a proper Yorkshire pudding must rise at least four inches to be considered authentic!

What is Yorkshire Pudding?

Despite its name, Yorkshire pudding is not a dessert like an American pudding but rather a savory baked dish made from a thin, pancake-like batter. It is light and airy on the inside while crispy and golden on the outside.

A classic Yorkshire pudding is made from four key ingredients:

  • Flour – Provides structure and crispness
  • Eggs – Help create a light, fluffy texture
  • Milk – Adds richness and forms a smooth batter
  • Beef Drippings or Oil – Essential for achieving a crisp, golden exterior

The secret to a successful Yorkshire pudding lies in extremely hot fat and a very hot oven. The batter is poured into preheated, smoking-hot muffin tins or a roasting pan with beef drippings, causing an instant sizzle that helps create the classic dramatic rise and hollow center.

It can be made in individual portions (muffin-sized) or as a large, pan-baked pudding that is sliced and served.

Tasting Notes: A Delicate Balance of Crisp and Airy

A well-made Yorkshire pudding delivers a satisfying contrast in textures:

  • The exterior is crisp and golden-brown, with a delicate crunch that shatters slightly as you bite in.
  • The interior is soft, eggy, and airy, almost like a popover or a soufflé, but with a bit more chew.
  • The flavor is rich and slightly savory, enhanced by the depth of the beef drippings if used. However, it remains neutral enough to soak up gravy, meat juices, or even sweet toppings like jam when served in different contexts.

Yorkshire pudding is best enjoyed fresh from the oven, when its textures are at their peak.

How Yorkshire Pudding is Served

1. The Classic: With Roast Beef and Gravy

The most traditional way to enjoy Yorkshire pudding is alongside roast beef, gravy, and vegetables in a Sunday roast dinner. The pudding is perfect for sopping up the rich, meaty juices, adding both texture and flavor to the meal.

2. As a Starter (Old Tradition)

Historically, Yorkshire pudding was served before the main meal, drizzled with gravy. This was a way to fill diners up cheaply before the more expensive meat was served.

3. Toad in the Hole

Another British classic, Toad in the Hole, takes the Yorkshire pudding batter and bakes sausages inside it, creating a heartier, more substantial dish.

4. As a Dessert

In some parts of England, Yorkshire pudding is even served as a sweet dish, topped with golden syrup, jam, or even cream—a testament to its versatility.

Beyond Yorkshire: A Dish Loved Around the World

While Yorkshire pudding is most famous in England, similar dishes exist in various forms across the world. The American popover is nearly identical, and the Dutch baby pancake shares many similarities but leans more toward the sweet side.

Today, Yorkshire pudding is a staple in British households and pub menus, and its reputation continues to spread globally. Whether paired with a roast, sausages, or even something sweet, Yorkshire pudding remains a timeless, comforting delight that embodies the heart and soul of English cuisine.

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Feb 18, 2025
0 Pizza

St. Louis Style Pizza

If you’ve never had St. Louis-style pizza, get ready for something totally unexpected. This Missouri-born creation defies every traditional pizza rule in the best way possible—starting with the fact that it’s cut into squares, not slices. That’s right, in St. Louis, pizza isn’t served in the familiar triangle shape but instead in a grid of bite-sized squares, thanks to what’s known as the “party cut” or “tavern cut.” But the unique slicing method is just the beginning of what sets this style apart.

First and foremost, the crust is unlike any other. Instead of a chewy, airy dough, St. Louis-style pizza has an ultra-thin, cracker-like crust that snaps rather than bends. There’s no yeast involved, which means the dough stays flat and crispy, giving each bite a satisfying crunch. This makes it one of the few pizzas that you definitely cannot fold—and honestly, you wouldn’t want to. The crisp texture is the backbone of the entire experience.

Then there’s the cheese—and this is where things get really St. Louis. Unlike most pizzas that use mozzarella, St. Louis-style pizza is topped with Provel cheese, a hyper-local blend of cheddar, Swiss, and provolone. Provel is an acquired taste—it’s ultra-melty, creamy, and has a slight smoky, buttery flavor. While some people love its gooey texture, others find it almost too processed. But for St. Louisans, Provel is non-negotiable. You’ll even find it in toasted ravioli, another local specialty. If you order a St. Louis-style pizza outside of Missouri, chances are they’ll swap in mozzarella, but if you want the real deal, it’s gotta be Provel.

As for the sauce, St. Louis keeps things sweet and tangy. Unlike the bright, acidic sauces of Neapolitan or New York-style pizza, St. Louis pizza sauce often has a touch of sugar, creating a slight sweetness that balances the saltiness of the Provel cheese. It’s usually spread in a thin layer, so the sauce never overwhelms the crispy crust.

And finally, we have the toppings. Since the crust is thin and crispy, St. Louis-style pizza can handle a lot of toppings without getting soggy. Popular choices include Italian sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, onions, and green peppers, though some places get more creative. One classic St. Louis topping combo is bacon and onion, a salty-sweet mix that plays well with the Provel.

While the “who invented St. Louis pizza?” debate continues, one name always comes up: Imo’s Pizza. Founded in 1964 by Ed and Margie Imo, this family-owned business turned the local style into a full-blown institution. Today, Imo’s is to St. Louis what Domino’s is to the rest of America—a citywide staple with dozens of locations serving up thin, crispy, Provel-smothered pies.

Outside of Missouri, St. Louis-style pizza remains a bit of a cult favorite. Some people can’t get enough of the crispy crust and melty Provel, while others struggle to embrace its unconventional approach. But love it or hate it, St. Louis-style pizza is one of the most distinct and proudly regional pizzas in the U.S. It’s not trying to be New York, Neapolitan, or Chicago deep-dish—it’s doing its own thing, unapologetically.

So, if you ever find yourself in St. Louis, forget the debate over whether Provel is real cheese, embrace the party cut, and dive into a crispy, cheesy, square-shaped bite of Missouri’s finest. Just don’t ask for a slice.

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Feb 18, 2025
0 One Shot Goals

Goal Met – 5 a.m. Wake Up Call

I’m not going to lie – this sucked pretty bad. I’m partially to blame, as I waited to long to do this and had to do it in the middle of winter when it was pitch black at 5am and the house was freezing.  This whole idea stemmed from the five am club book that was making its rounds on social media. The book had a whole structure on how to utilize the time breaking it down into discrete segments which might have worked if I had done this in the summer.

I did do some planning however – I made a pitcher of iced tea from some high caffeine tea and had it ready to go so as soon as I woke up I drank a glass of that and a glass of water to help wake my body up.  I stumbled down into my office, the only place I could make some noise without waking up the kids. I did some light stretching to try to get some blood flowing then started working on my curated to do list.

That’s where I started to see some issue – my brain just wasn’t ready for structured work and it took the tea about 40 minutes to really kick in before I felt awake enough to trust what I was doing would be accurate. So I switched to more creative tasks where accuracy wasn’t that necessary.  Notably the short story I was working on – in fact during this week I wrote about 10,000 words which was almost double what I had so far (writers block can be a real pain sometimes) – I settled into a habit where I’d sketch out the next few plot points that I needed to hit then just wrote for an hour or more letting the words just come out. I’d spend the last 30 minutes reviewing what I wrote and making some light edits to strengthen the structure (mostly due to changes made later in the story)

I actually felt really productive in those two hours but getting up at five was a real struggle as I’m not a morning person but oddly enough I never felt the spark to write late at night so I really did have better results with that five am wake up call. I just couldn’t see myself continuing it for any length of time as I really like staying up late – those few hours after the kids go to bed are the prime hours for me to be creative or get tasks done or even relax with a baseball game or even some video game time.  It’s hard to do all that at five am in the morning (possible, but not easy)

I’m glad I gave this a shot  – in fact my body adapted pretty quickly and by the third day I was waking up on my own before the alarms would go off. I tried hard to get to bed by 10 each night but sometimes I got distracted with something and looked up and realized it was 11:30 which means I wasn’t falling asleep until at least midnight – those few times were particularly brutal.

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Feb 18, 2025
0 One Shot Goals

Goal Met – 50 Hours of Italian Learning

Ciao! Come Stai? Io vorrei studiaro il parlaro Italian. Stavo Andado Italia in maggio e Io Volevo imparare molto Italiano.

Ok, that’s about as much butchered Italian as I’m going to subject you to. It’s a lot easier for me to read and understand than to write or speak as conjugating the verbs correctly is easier to do when you are looking at them in front of you.

This one was a slog at time as learning a new language is a tough thing to do – there’s a lot of rules you need to be sure of and in the beginning it was pretty easy as everything I was learning was in present tense but when we started looking at all the tenses it got complicated very quickly. 

I was using a mixture of learning methods for this. The primary one was the Babbel app as it allowed me to learn in 10-20 minute increments and was really good for vocabulary reinforcement.  I mixed in a few Youtube teachers focusing in on structure and grammar as those things aren’t as focused in the app and listening to Italian content (even in the background) helped my brain normalize the language (this trick I picked up from a few different teachers)

It did actually help me a little when I travelled to Italy as I could navigate the shops and pay for things using Italian which felt like an accomplishment as small as it was. I could read most of the signs and figure things out using context clues so I felt like I was putting my learning to use. Once I got back I kept at it figuring if I keep learning the next time I go back, I’ll be even better prepared!

I felt like using multiple sources of learning was the right approach as each offered a different perspective and where they crossed over, the learnings were reinforced. I started working Italian words into my daily life to entertain my kids and I made sure to pronounce them as Italian as possible to annoy my wife.

This is one of the things I’m opting to carry over into the future as I really want to strengthen my language skills and it’s still a challenge to me which means I’m engaging that learning process that I’ve worked so hard to develop this year.

Ciao Tutti!

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