Yorkshire pudding are the tradition in my family. When a gang would be there, a standing rib roast was the ticket, otherwise a smaller rolled roast would do. Yorkshire pudding was mandatory and beloved by all. Dessert was invariably fig pudding at my mother's table. I still have the mold in which she steamed the pudding, but I do not have her recipe. It involved a lot of figs, some suet, cinnamon and clove and who knows what else. Delicious when flamed with cognac and served with hard sauce.

As the Yorkshire pudding provided the starch (and omigod fat) for the meal, no potatoes, etc., were served. Just winter squash and a trademark dish of brussels sprouts with chestnuts. After years of putting up with overcooked sprouts, which were always neglected at the last minute in the rush to get the great skillets of Yorkshire pudding into the oven, I suggested we try something else. Mom said it was ok by her, she had only done Brussels sprouts all those years because I liked them. Not I, said I, I've never liked them much. Hmm, maybe it was your father who liked them, she thought aloud. A good laugh all round, anyway. Funny, now I kind of miss them.