When it comes to waffles, it’s hard to beat a light, fluffy, crisp-on-the-outside, fresh-out-of-the-iron, hot waffle. At the opposite end of that spectrum is the dense, mushy, but hopefully-still-tastes-good waffle. I hate to tell you, but my kitchen experiments have more often resulted in the latter. I made these lemon ricotta waffles with blueberries a few weeks ago, very excitedly. Lemon and blueberries are one of my favorite flavor combinations. While the waffles tasted good, they lacked the crispiness I prefer. While overnight yeast waffles rarely fail to satisfy, the flavor of a yeasted waffle isn’t always what I’m craving.
Some of the things I’ve learned along the way while trying to prefect any waffle include the importance of separated eggs, the necessity of butter or oil, the balance of a good mixing and batter consistency, and the valuable knowledge of ignoring that awful buzzing timer that tells you your waffle’s done…
Separated eggs: the yolks go into the other wet ingredients, but the egg whites? Beat them until you’re left with stiff egg white peaks. All the air that’s incorporated at this point will be what gives your waffle a light airy texture.
Butter: the amount of oil or butter (fat) content in your batter allows you to cook the waffles at a higher temperature. This allows the outsides to crisp while maintaining a chewy, soft center.
Batter consistency: here’s what I’ve found – the thicker the batter I place onto the waffle iron, the slower it spreads out thus keeping its shape and keeping a better texture when done. However, you don’t want to over-mix the batter when combining the ingredients. To do so activates the gluten in your flour, creating a chewier waffle vs. a crisp, light waffle.
The f’ing timer built into most waffle irons: first of all, that timer drives our dogs crazy. But that’s not why I ignore it. I remember my mom occasionally making waffles when I was a kid. The one thing she always told me was that when the steam stops pouring out of your waffle iron, that means the waffle is cooked through. They were perfect every time. So when I’m cooking waffles now, I wait for the timer to beep, indicating the iron is hot enough to start cooking… but from then on, I ignore it. I watch the steam escape out of the sides of our waffle iron until it subsides. That’s when I open up the iron to remove the waffle.
Since these Belgian waffles are almost half whole wheat flour, I feared they’d be really dense and perhaps even dry, as several whole wheat experiments have left me with. Happily, that wasn’t the case. They were fluffy, crisp, delightful. Especially when topped with additional fresh blueberries and warm (real) maple syrup.
Somewhere in my brain I decided it was a good week for a juice fast. This particular juice absolutely required me not breathing in while I drank. Kale, beets, beet greens, romaine lettuce, cucumber, celery, kiwi, meyer lemon, apples, ginger. However, it had the energy boost of about six cups of coffee.
A couple days before my fast, my Southern born and raised mother-in-law made this delicious seafood gumbo, with shrimp, crab, and Field Roast sausages. It was delicious.
Outside-the-house dogs wanting to be inside-the-house dogs…
I chopped off a foot of hair this week… Still long. However, the potential for dipping said hairs in bourbon, into the gas burner on our stove, in the dish water while doing dishes… has diminished almost entirely. I hadn’t had a hair cut in over two years. It was time.
Plus I got to send off the lopped of tresses to a good cause, where hopefully someone will find a little happiness.
I love watching carrot juice and beet juice being made. So vibrant. (And tasty.)
Little lady always ready for play time…
Creepers.
Leeks! For a yummy winter soup coming your way next week.
Pink hillsides in the late afternoon cold.
This 7-year-old dude got to try out for minor league baseball this weekend. Despite being the youngest guy out there, he kicked butt!
Immediately after minors try-outs the same little boy had a basketball game where he scored basket after basket, after basket…
Another recipe coming soon for a warm beet green salad with beets, pine nuts and goat cheese…
Julie Hashimoto-McCreery
