Belgian Waffles

Happy Friday and hello weekend!

I have been fighting the ugliest summer cold and cough since the beginning of this month. I had been sick the first week of the month, and I got better, then my husband got sick, and then he got better...then I got it back again. It's not fun coughing throughout the night and having the sniffles all day long while tending to my almost 5 month daughter. I even lost my voice for a couple of days and thankfully I'm back to feeling like my normal healthy self. Luckily, Elena hasn't caught our colds and has managed to stay healthy this entire month, too.

I'm so happy that the weekend is finally here, and we have no major "busy" plans. I love a lazy weekend every now and then to recuperate from terrible cold. One of my favorite ways to start the weekend right is having a fantastic breakfast to start the day. During the week, my go-to breakfast is typically eggs and toast, oatmeal or yogurt and granola. Something very simple and easy to prepare in less than 10 minutes. I love spending a little extra time to make a big breakfast for Eric and I.

We have a regular waffle maker and not a Belgian waffle maker and the end results still came out scrumptious. The club soda or seltzer water makes the batter light and fluffy. You can top the waffle with fresh fruit or powdered sugar to jazz the waffles up a bit. I paired it up the Belgian waffles with over-easy eggs and crispy bacon to complete the meal.

Crispy and light golden waffles and the perfect way to start your day.

Belgian Waffles
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated
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Melba's Southern Fried Chicken and Eggnog Waffles

One of my most treasured cookbooks to date is Bobby Flay's Throwdown mainly because I recently got it signed from Mr. Bobby Flay himself during his book tour at Williams-Sonoma and because he's my chef-IDOL! Perusing through this cookbook reminded me of so many infamous Throwdown episodes and I drooled over the fried chicken and waffles section. The winning recipe from Melba Wilson - Southern fried chicken and eggnog waffles sounds like an odd combination but breakfast and dinner food groups mixed together make one ultimate meal. It is one of those comfort food dishes that are sooooo tasty and delicious.

One of our first experiences tasting fried chicken and waffles is from Roscoes House of Chicken and Waffles in Long Beach. It's like a college rite of passage with my friends and I remember many late night outings for some tasty food from Roscoes. You can give me the sideways look to say "why haven't I had this wacky combination?" or "strange bug eye crazed look." Who does not love succulent and extra crispy chicken and sweet buttery waffles? (Raises her hand in the air, screaming this girl does!!) It's absolutely sinful and definitely a sweet and savory kind of meal. Go ahead and do yourself a favor and make this southern treat. Melba Wilson's southern fried chicken is definitely a winner in my book and it is finger licking good. But trust me you won't need to lick the oil on your fingers because there is none. Fluffy, pillowy eggnog waffles lightly covered in strawberry butter and maple syrup paired with chicken that is so crispy, well seasoned & juicy on the inside. It's the ultimate comfort food combination (drool).
Melba's Southern Fried Chicken and Eggnog Waffles
Adapted from Bobby Flay's Throwdown
Ingredients:
For the chicken:
3 pounds of chicken legs and thighs
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon brown mustard
2 cups buttermilk
Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Complete Seasoning 
For the eggnog waffles:
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground nutmeg
2 cups eggnog
2 large eggs, separated
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Cooking spray, for the waffle iron
Strawberry Butter (recipe follows), for serving
Maple syrup, for serving
Strawberry Butter:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
4 ounces strawberries, hulled and sliced (about 3/4 cup)
A few drops of grenadine syrup
Preparation:

In a small mixing bowl, add all the spices and mix together. Place the chicken pieces in a large Pyrex bowl and sprinkle with the seasoning. Add the mustard and use your hands to completely cover the chicken. Pour in the butter­milk, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

In a large dutch oven, add 3 inches of vegetable oil and heat it until it reads 325 degrees over medium heat. Make sure you have a candy thermometer to watch the temperature. In a brown paper bag, combine the flour and complete seasoning. Add a few pieces of chicken at a time and shake it up - and shake off the excess flour. Working in batches, fry the chicken until it is golden brown and crispy on one side for about 15 minutes. Make sure and check the temperature of the chicken that it reads 160 degrees. Place cooked chicken on a plate lined with paper towels.

After all your chicken has been fried, make your waffles. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Whisk the eggnog, egg yolks, and butter in a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup. Slowly stir wet ingredi­ents into the dry until combined, be careful to not over mix - lumpy batter is good.
In the bowl of the KA mixer or using a mixer, whisk the egg whites until almost stiff and gently fold them into the waffle batter.

Heat a waffle iron. Spray the waffle iron with cooking spray. Pour some of the batter into the middle of the iron, following the manu­facturer’s instructions. Close and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Top the waffles with fried chicken, straw­berry butter, and maple syrup.

For the strawberry butter, put the butter in a food processor fitted with the metal blade, and blend until smooth. Add the berries and grenadine and pulse until combined, but with small pieces of berry still visible.

Review: There are food combinations that belong together like peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti and meatballs, burgers and fries and chicken and waffles is another match made in foodie heaven. Eric said this was the best fried chicken he has ever had, and although it took a little bit of effort and a mess in my kitchen...it was WORTH IT! I do recommend frying the chicken first in several batches until they are all done, and then making your batch of waffles. Letting the chicken rest allows it to cool down and lock in that juicy tangy flavor from the buttermilk and spices. Strawberry butter was pretty colorful, but I prefer traditional waffles than the eggnog waffles.

Buttermilk Waffles

Most nights I have a theme for dinner like for awhile I did meatless Mondays, taco Tuesdays, gourmet Wednesdays, or Cuban/Italian/Mexican/ dinner. The other night I was not inspired to cook at all, it was just one of those days that I did not want to make a mess and I was still tired from my half marathon. However, I didn't want to go out and pick up something for dinner -but it led me to my go-to meal of the day - Breakfast for dinner! It was an easy enough meal to prepare in a short amount of time, and it always hits the spot. Frying up some bacon made the house smell wonderful, and I made a nice batch of waffles from my latest issue of Cooks Illustrated.

I've made lots of waffles before and was eager to try a new one out. The pumpkin waffles are my favorite around the holidays, Annie's wonderful banana bread waffles are a great way to use up ripe bananas, and my favorite go-to recipe is Alton Brown's waffles. This one really stands out because the selzter water and buttermilk powder give a light texture that's similar to whipped egg whites. It really made for a better buttermilk waffle, and I loved every single bite of it! Try it for yourself. ;-)

Buttermilk Waffles
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated - May & June 2010 issue
Ingredients:
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup dried buttermilk powder
1/2 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups unflavored seltzer water
Preparation:
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Set wire rack in rimmed baking sheet and place baking sheet in oven.
2. Whisk flour, sugar, salt, buttermilk powder and baking soda in large bowl to combine.
3. Whisk sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and oil in medium bowl to combine. Gently stir seltzer into wet ingredients.
4. Using a rubber spatula, gently stir until just combined. Batter should remain slightly lumpy with streaks of flour.
5. Heat waffle iron and bake waffles according to manufacturer's instructions (use about 1/3 cup for 7-inch round iron). Transfer waffles to rack in warm oven and hold for up to 10 minutes before serving with butter and maple syrup.

Review: Loved the crispy waffles for dinner, and it would be great for breakfast as well. It was a perfectly crispy yet fluffy waffle and a fried egg and crispy tasty bacon and a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice all paired well. Breakfast is the best way to start and end your day right? I think so. ;-)

Banana Bread Waffles

I would have to say breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and Sunday's breakfast is my most favorite day and meal to make, too. It's become a Sunday morning tradition to have a hearty and tasty breakfast at home. I always have an abundance of ripe bananas and knew this recipe would be perfect for us to try. One of my go-to recipes for waffles is Alton Brown's basic waffle recipe so it was a nice change and I always have to find a reason to use these wedding gadgets! After our wonderful Cuban dinner, Eric helped me prep the waffle batter before we went to bed so breakfast would be halfway done for the next day. We loved how these banana bread waffles turned out, not too dense or yeasty as expected from banana bread, but quite flavorful, moist and delicious. Plus, it's the best of both worlds, banana bread and waffles united as one yummy breakfast treat. Make them with your hubby and you'll both enjoy them!


Banana Bread Waffles
adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from Seven Spoons
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. warm milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1½ tsp. yeast
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash of ground ginger
Dash of ground clove
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3 whole bananas)
2 tbsp. Greek yogurt or sour cream (I used greek yogurt)

Directions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the melted butter, warm milk and vanilla extract. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, yeast, salt and spices. Whisk together to blend. Add the wet ingredients to the bowl and whisk just until smooth. Whisk in the eggs until incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, and up to 24 hours.
3. When you are ready to make the waffles, remove the batter from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. It should be about doubled in size and there should be small bubbles on the surface.
4. Add the mashed bananas and yogurt (or sour cream) to the batter. Whisk lightly to incorporate into the batter. Cook in a preheated waffle maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve as desired with maple syrup and banana slices.

Review: Perfect breakfast for Sunday morning, paired with a hefty side of bacon and a nice cup of freshly brewed coffee. It was a hearty breakfast, not too sweet but just right.

Pumpkin Waffles

Another pumpkin post for my pumpkin loverrrrrs! Breakfast is not only the most important meal of the day, it's my favorite meal of the day. I love scrambled eggs, pancakes, french toast, corned hash, omelettes, muffins, bacon, sausage, and more...I could go on and on. I had pumpkin pancakes saved in my google reader for sometime to make for breakfast, but Eric does love waffles more. Eric even made a special visit to the store for me since my SACO cultured buttermilk blend had dried out, big oops that I forgot to refrigerate after opening. I'll remember that tip for next time I purchase it. The hardest part of this recipe is whipping up the egg whites if you don't have a KA mixer, let it do the work for you. I also used the wrong beater blade, note to self - wire whip blade. I did add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar to get the extra fluff of the egg whites. The fluffy egg whites mixed with the waffle mix really accentuate the lightness of the waffle. The pumpkin puree does weigh the mix down a bit, but the fluffy egg whites take that affect away. It does make a big batch of waffles, I think this recipe can make about 10 to 12 waffles. Maybe I'll be having pumpkin waffles for dinner tonight?


Pumpkin Waffles
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons, unsalted butter - melted for brushing on waffle iron

1. Preheat oven to 250°F and preheat waffle iron. Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices. Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl with buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until combined.
2. In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks (as in, far softer than the over-beaten whites). Folk them gently into the waffle batter, until just combined.
3. Brush waffle iron lightly with unsalted butter and spoon batter (less than 3/4 cup for my Cuisinart) into waffle iron, spreading quickly. Cook according to manufacturer’s instructions.
4. Transfer waffles to rack in oven to keep warm and crisp. Make more waffles in same manner.

Review: Absolute heaven, add a little sprinkle of confectioners syrup, and a side of crispy bacon...it's a great Sunday breakfast. What can I say, I love pumpkin.