Sweet Yorkshire Puddings With Cinnamon Sugar And Autumn Conserve

by Chef Pat Riley

Introduction by James Chatto:
Tucked into Toronto’s historic Distillery District, Perigee is built around a unique idea that food lovers have found irresistible. There’s no à la carte menu; instead, tables surround an open kitchen where chef Pat Riley and his team prepare mystery tasting menus of many small courses, discussing each delectable creation with their customers. Says Pat, “In October the light and delicate flavours of summer give way to the heartier and more complex cooking of fall. At this time of year food dishes and flavour pairings come to me fast and almost fully formed, requiring none of the coaxing needed in other months.”

Conserve:
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dark rum
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tbsp finely grated orange rind
1/2 stick cinnamon
1 bay leaf
Pinch salt
1/3 cup pecans, toasted and crushed into 1/2-inch pieces

Yorkshire Pudding:
2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch ground nutmeg
Pinch salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp oil for muffin tins
2 tbsp dried cranberries, roughly chopped

Combine dried cranberries, dark rum and orange juice in a bowl and let soak for 10 minutes.

Add oil to a 2-quart stainless steel pot over medium high heat.

Add butternut squash and sauté until lightly browned and just starting to soften, about 3 minutes.

Add apples and sauté for 2 more minutes.

Stir in cranberry-orange-rum mixture. When it boils add brown sugar and cook until dissolved. When mixture returns to a boil add orange rind, cinnamon stick, bay leaf and salt.

Reduce heat to medium and gently cook, stirring occasionally until liquid has reduced to the consistency of thin maple syrup, about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

Remove cinnamon stick and bay leaf and stir in pecans.

Combine eggs, milk, flour, nutmeg, salt and half cinnamon in a bowl.

Whisk gently to incorporate all ingredients. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Combine remaining cinnamon with icing sugar and mix well. Reserve.

Place a 12 x 1-ounce muffin tin pan on a baking sheet. Fill each section with about 1/3 teaspoon of oil and put back in oven for 10 minutes or until oil and tins are very hot.

Remove tin from the oven and fill each section to just below the rim with Yorkshire pudding mix.

Drop 1/2 of the chopped dried cranberries into the centre of each muffin section and return pan to the oven.

Bake for 12 minutes or until the puddings have puffed up and are dark brown and slightly crisp to the touch.

Remove tin from the oven and turn out puddings onto a paper towel-lined plate.

Spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons of conserve into the centre of four plates.

Sift cinnamon sugar over top of the puddings and place 3 puddings on each of the four plates, just off of centre.

Spoon another heaping tablespoon of the conserve over part of the puddings and drizzle some of conserve syrup over to decorate plate.

Serve immediately.