A couple of Christmases ago, our friend Bob (of Bob and Don – not the Bob of Barb and Bob – though he’d probably really like one, too) got a pretty nifty waffle maker as a gift, and proceeded to treat us to tasty, tasty waffles on trips to rustic cabins in the wilds of, ermmm, Saugatuck.
Those waffles got me to thinking of this not quite so nifty waffler and grill thingy I had given to Rich for a Christmas a dozen years ago or so. He’d tried to make waffles once and… well, let us just say it did not end well.
Ever since, the little waffler that couldn’t sat in the pantry, only to be pulled out when it was time to make a mighty-fine grilled cheese sammich or two. It struck me as kind of silly to keep a bulky appliance around just to make the occasional melty sammich, and I considered giving it to Goodwill, but something stopped me.
It did, after all, make a very nice melty sammich…
Then. Bob made his waffles, and I got to thinking about it all, and thought mebbe I should give the whole thing one more try.
And I am glad I did; my waffles turned out lightly crispy and flavorful – if perhaps not perfectly shaped. I opted to try a variation on a savory cornmeal waffle offered up as an accompaniment to chili by Paula Deen. I had plans other than chili, and added some buttermilk, a bit of baking soda, and a dash of nice black pepper to mine – but we still ended up with some tasty waffles, and an appliance had earned it’s place in my pantry.
INGREDIENTS
•1-3/4 cup flour
•1-1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
•1 tbsp baking powder
•1/2 tsp baking soda
•1 tsp sugar
•1 tsp salt
•1/8 tsp black pepper
•1 cup skim milk
•1 cup buttermilk
•3 tbsp vegetable oil
•2 large eggs
Combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, soda, sugar, salt and pepper together in a large bowl (my 8-cup measuring cup worked a treat). Add the milk, buttermilk, oil and eggs, and stir until the batter is smooth.
Set the batter aside to rest for 5 minutes while you preheat your waffle maker. I set mine to medium heat, and turned the oven to 250º to keep the waffles warm while I was making the rest.
Once your waffle maker is ready, ladle the dough on. Rich’s first attempt at waffling all those years ago had left us with a flood of batter all over the counter, so I was mebbe a bit over-cautious in using just a bit of the batter in the center of the pan.
Close the lid and cook – mine were done and nicely browned in about 3 minutes.
Remove the cooked waffle from the pan and serve, or, as I did, stash in a warm oven, and repeat.
I ended up with a bunch of savory waffles; just perfect for dinner.
And, speaking of dinner; Paula served her waffles topped with chili. I decided that ours would be served with a tangy cherry chicken recipe I found in an advertisement. Check out that recipe…
tomorrow.