So… you may recall the jalapeño and pimiento cheese spread from last week.
It was terrific stuffed into dates, wrapped in duck bacon, lightly seasoned, and baked.
It was very tasty spread into crackers, celery spears, and endive leaves for munchies.
As it turns out, it also makes for a very fine waffle addition; and, kinda surprisingly, works equally well with savory (think fried or cuban style chicken) and sweet (maple syrup and butter) toppings.
Winner, winner waffle dinner – or breakfast, or breakfast for dinner!
INGREDIENTS
•3-1/2 cups flour
•3 tbsp cornmeal
•2 tbsp sugar
•1 tsp baking soda
•1 tsp coarse sea salt
•3 cups buttermilk*
•3 eggs, lightly beaten
•2/3 cup canola oil
•1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
•1 cup jalapeño and pimiento cheese spread (or, just use one cup of cheddar cheese)
Note: I got over two dozen waffles (based on four waffles per batch) out of this recipe, which is a lot for the two of us, but fret ye not! I have a kindofa cool solution for that problem (are too many waffles ever, really a problem?) later…
*No buttermilk? As always, no problem! Simply add one tablespoon of white vinegar or fresh lemon juice (three tablespoons, in this case) to a measuring cup for each cup of buttermilk you need, then add fresh milk to fill out the measure (three cups, again in this case), give it a stir, and set it aside for five or ten minutes. You now have buttermilk.
Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Add the buttermilk, eggs, and oil; whisking just until combined.
Stir in the chives and the cheese, then set aside to rest for five minutes.
Preheat waffle maker to the desired setting.
Pour 1-1/2 cup of batter onto the hot waffle maker, spreading out evenly over the grid – this spreading the batter thing is a tip I just got from the nice folk at Cuisinart, who nicely provided the base recipe for these waffles; use a spatula or crêpe rake.
Close the waffle maker and cook until the waffle is done – mine took a while, and then I cooked ’em a bit longer to get them browner after the little light on the waffle maker turned green.
Remove the cooked waffles and transfer to a plate – or a rack set into a baking pan – in an oven heated to 200º to keep them warm while cooking the remaining waffles.
Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve, as you will. As I noted above, these waffles worked a treat covered with citrus-y Cuban chicken, toasted the next day for lunch, slathered with more jalpeño and pimiento spread and eaten as a sammich, and, toasted, again, the next day, and enjoyed with a pat of butter and maple syrup as a breakfast for lunch thing.
And, here’s the truly great thing about making a hoooge batch of waffles and having a lot leftover…
Allow your waffles to cool, then pack into zipper freezer bags, each waffle separated by a square of wax paper.
Freeze all those extra waffles, and then…
When you feel the need for a slightly savory, but sweet compliant waffle, don’t bother with those boxed things from the supermarket’s freezer, pull some of your own, home made waffles out of the freezer and toast to your heart’s content.
Then enjoy.
Repeat, as necessary.