You know those incomprehensible food cravings you get for no rhyme or reason? The ones that make you see a particular food everywhere and in everything? For me, it's been waffles. Don't ask me why. I've been pining for them lustfully for the past week and I was in the middle of persuading Jude to go for a waffle breakfast today when he wisely reminds me that we actually have a waffle iron we inherited from Olivier, and that we should just make our own. How brilliant! Besides, this being the last weekend before school begins, it was actually a good idea to take some time to leisurely make breakfast. With me writing my first pre-candidacy paper, and Jude teaching in the Fall, we'll be lucky to put anything in our stomachs in the mornings...
Anyways, I found a great recipe that makes light crisp waffles. That's how I like my waffles- I don't like ones that are too dense and cake-like. Waffles are a breakfast food and they shouldn't sit too heavy, and they must be crispy. If they're going to be soggy, have a pancake instead. The key to the lightness of this recipe is separating the egg and beating the white on its own. The things is, I don't bake enough to justify buying any baking appliances, least of all a hand-mixer (do an egg-beater and a spatula count?), and so it was my arm muscles to the rescue. I saw Jamie Oliver do this on his show once and it didn't look too hard. And really, it wasn't- about 4 to 5 minutes of sustained whisking to get the soft peaks that the recipe required. I always knew doing those free weights were more than just about having trim arms... :)
In the end, the batter turned out really well- it's a little thinner than what I had expected, but apparently, that's what makes the waffles crispy. Ther finished product turned out just the way I like them- crispy and crunchy on the outside, light and fluffy inside. Next time though, I'll leave them in the waffle iron a little longer so they'll turn a nuttier brown, and use the buttermilk specified in the recipe (we only had regular milk).
We ate the waffles with butter and the maple jelly we got from Montreal- deleeecious! There's just something very satisfying about making something you love on your own, plus there's now that faint aroma of vanilla and toasted sugar lingering in our house :) And it wasn't even difficult at all to do. Try it- you'll never have another Aunt Jemima frozen waffle again!
Thanks again Olivier for your waffle iron!
The Perfect Waffles
* 3-1/2 oz. (3/4 cup) bleached all-purpose flour
* 1 oz. (1/4 cup) cornstarch
* 1/2 tsp. salt
* 1/2 tsp. baking powder
* 1/4 tsp. baking soda
* 3/4 cup buttermilk
* 1/4 cup milk
* 6 Tbs. vegetable oil
* 1 large egg, separated
* 1 Tbs. sugar
* 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Heat the oven to 200°F and heat the waffle iron. Mix the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Measure the buttermilk, milk, and vegetable oil in a Pyrex measuring cup; mix in the egg yolk and set aside.
In another bowl, beat the egg white almost to soft peaks. Sprinkle in the sugar and continue to beat until the peaks are firm and glossy. Beat in the vanilla.
Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until just mixed. Drop the whipped egg white onto the batter in dollops and fold in with a spatula until just incorporated.
Pour the batter onto the hot waffle iron (mine takes about 2/3 cup) and cook until the waffle is crisp and nutty brown (follow the manufacturer's instructions for timing at first and then adjust to your liking). Set the waffle directly on the oven rack to keep it warm and crisp. Repeat with the remaining batter, holding the waffles in the oven (don't stack them). When all the waffles are cooked, serve immediately.
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