popovers

Guinness Braised Beef. Just say that out loud. Guinness. Braised. Beef. Oh yah.
Tender, delicious beef in a hearty gravy. Heaven on Earth!

This dish is perfection to serve for St. Patty’s.

It combines two of my favourite things: beef and beer.
Yes I like beer. I am not ashamed. ;)

Guinness Braised Beef

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
Heat about 2 tbsp cooking oil in a frying pan (medium to high heat)
Dredge your cubed beef in flour. When the oil is hot, add the beef to the frying pan, and brown on all sides. Don’t overcrowd the beef, so you may have to cook it in batches (and you may have to add more oil). Also be careful not to overcook it, you just want to brown the beef!
When the beef is browned, put it into an oven proof dish.
In the same pan that you browned the beef, add the onions and garlic, and cook until soft. Don’t worry about the messy pan, you want all that stuff in there – it adds great flavour!
Once the onions and garlic are soft, add the stock, beer, vinegar, sugar, mustard, cloves, salt & pepper, basil and bay leaves. Bring to a boil.
Then pour the liquid over the beef, cover, and transfer the dish to the oven.
Bake until the beef is tender – about 1 to 1½ hours. Stir a couple of times during cooking.

Tips!

If you find that your gravy is too thin, and would like to thicken it up, I like to mix in 1-2 tbsp of kneaded butter. Kneaded butter is equal parts flour and butter, mixed into a paste. This is a trick I learned from the Joy of Cooking. Don’t add too much or your gravy will taste of flour.
This stew is delicious with mashed potatoes or my yummy popovers! We prefer popovers like the ones pictured below! Yum!

Enjoy!

Are they popovers or Yorkshire puddings?

What exactly is the difference anyway?

Well, let me tell you!

Typically popovers are cooked using butter, and Yorkshire puddings are cooked using beef drippings.

What do you call them?

I grew up with popovers!

They are the most scrumptious treat served with a pot roast or prime rib dinner!

And they are the best right out of the oven, with a big o’ dollop of butter in their hollow centres.

Pure deliciousness, pure indulgence. I could eat the whole batch. Yes. Please.

Popovers

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
Prepare your baking dish – I like to use a muffin tin. I just give it a light spray with cooking oil (or Pam) and dust with flour. This allows the batter to climb so they are nice and puffy!
Whisk together flour and salt. Set aside.
In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Then whisk in the butter.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix until combined (smooth with a few small lumps). Be careful not to overmix.
Fill your muffin cups about ⅔ to ¾ cups full with batter. I find that this batter makes 6-8 good sized popovers. Just remember that if you aren’t filling the whole muffin tin, to fill the empty muffin cups ½ full with water.
Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then at this time, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 20 more minutes.
Serve right away.

Recipe from the Joy of Cooking

Tips!

Don’t be tempted to open your oven during the baking process! This will make them deflate!
These are so fantastic served with pot roast and gravy, or prime rib! Yum!
Or you can eat them plain with a dollop of butter in their centre (like in the picture below)!