Chicken Tapas Yorkshire Puddings

STEP 1: BUILD THE BATTER BY WEIGHT

Crack the eggs into a jug and weigh them; four large eggs come to roughly 200 g shelled. Use that same weight of flour and the same weight of milk. Whisk the flour, English mustard powder and salt together in a bowl. Beat the eggs, whisk in the milk, then pour the wet into the dry in three additions, whisking smooth after each. The batter should coat a spoon and run off it freely, about the consistency of heavy cream. Cover and rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate overnight and bring back to room temperature before baking.

STEP 2: MAKE THE FILLING AND REDUCE IT PROPERLY

Crumble the saffron threads into the hot stock and leave to steep for 10 minutes, until it turns deep orange. Warm the olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 to 6 minutes until soft and just starting to color. Turn the heat up, add the diced chicken and brown for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, chili, ground cinnamon and chopped cilantro stems and cook for 1 minute more. Pour in the saffron stock, then add the tomatoes, cider vinegar, honey and golden raisins. Simmer uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce is thick enough to hold a mound on a spoon. Season, then stir in most of the chopped cilantro leaves. A loose filling will soften the pudding walls within a minute of going in, so reduce it further than feels necessary.

STEP 3: GET THE OIL TO THE EDGE OF SMOKING

Heat the oven to 450°F (230°C), conventional, with a rack in the upper third. Put 1 to 2 teaspoons of sunflower oil into each hole of the muffin tin and slide it into the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, until the oil shimmers and is just beginning to smoke. This is the step that produces the rise: batter hitting oil that is merely hot will spread and set flat, while batter hitting oil at smoking point flashes the outside into a shell and the inside climbs.

STEP 4: FILL FAST, FILL EVENLY

Pull the tin out and set it on a heatproof surface. Working quickly, pour the batter from the jug into each hole to just under two thirds full. Measure rather than eyeball it, using a ladle or a scant 1/4 cup per hole. Uniformity across the batch is decided here, in about twenty seconds, not in the oven. Get the tin back in immediately.

STEP 5: BAKE HARD AND DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the puddings are tall, deep golden brown and firm to a light tap. Do not open the oven door for the first 18 minutes. Take them further than instinct suggests: an underbaked Yorkshire pudding looks risen in the oven and collapses on the rack.

STEP 6: TOAST THE ALMONDS

While the puddings bake, toast the sliced almonds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking constantly, until they smell nutty and are patched with gold. Tip them out of the pan straight away; they carry on cooking in residual heat and turn bitter fast.

STEP 7: FILL AND SERVE IMMEDIATELY

Transfer the puddings to a wire cooling rack for a minute. With a paring knife, cut a small well in the center of each, lifting the disc out rather than pressing it down, which compacts the crumb. Spoon in the warm filling, using the same measure each time so every pudding carries the same amount. Scatter with the toasted almonds and top each with a cilantro leaf. Serve straight away, while the walls are still crisp.