09. Buttermilk Waffles

Date Cooked: September 1st, 2008
Recipe: 9
Page: 651

It was Labor Day morning and I wanted something different for breakfast. Considering I rarely eat breakfast (yeah, yeah I know how important the first meal of the day is), just having food would be different. Flipping through the ‘Best’ book I was looking for ideas and I wanted something a little more substantial to post about other than fried eggs or bacon, since the past few blog posts haven’t exactly been… complex. I stopped at page and read the entry for Buttermilk Waffles. I had buttermilk in my fridge from a few other recipes and figured it would be a great chance to use some more since I am not one of those people that can drink a glass of buttermilk… ughh!

So I dug out the waffle maker. Then I spent several minutes cleaning off the layers of dust that had adhered to it. I think we’ve owned this for almost six years and I can honestly say this was the third time it was used. I hope we bought it for a good deal. I would say the only other appliance I have that sees even less use would be the juicer, but we haven’t had that for a year yet so it might still see more use.

So I begin to mix all the ingredients together as directed and then comes the part where I need to whip the egg whites. Into the KitchenAid mixer they go and we watch hopelessly as the whisk attachment spins helplessly above the egg whites. We add more egg whites with no luck. Then I finally remove the bowl and hold it a mere fraction of an inch higher so the mixer can work its magic. I think I was supposed to stop at soft peaks but since I had never actually whipped egg whites before and I had no idea what soft peaks should look like, I think we stopped somewhere between hard peaks and molding clay. If I had seen this video earlier I would have been better informed. The clay got folded into the batter.

So onto the hot waffle iron I scoop some batter. I think I overestimated how much batter was needed because once I closed the lid it started pouring out all sides. The only comment Katt had for me was that I would be cleaning up the mess. In the end the waffles turned out pretty good. It will probably be awhile before I make these again because there is a fair bit of work involved. Also, I personally found them a bit salty. I ended up with a fair amount of powdered sugar and syrup on mine. My son really liked them though so that was a bonus.

The waffle iron was carefully tucked back into its corner where it will probably sit for another two years.

I would like to take this moment to profess my love for my wife Katt. Over the weekend she decided to treat me to an absolutely fantastic gift, a set of Henckel’s Knives! I had picked up a Boos Cutting Board while on vacation (the large 2ft model) and for the next few days I had been eyeing the knives in every kitchen department or kitchen supply store I could find. We were at the Bay when my wife disappeared for a few moments and the next thing I know she is handing me a bag with the knives in it and big smile on her face, although seconds later I’m sure my smile was bigger!

So to end this post. I am very excited to begin cooking with my new fabulous knives! Next on the list of must haves; La Creuset 7 ¼ qt. Round Dutch Oven (Slate) (Price at Williams-Sonoma in Buffalo, $260 USD, in Toronto, $350 CDN). I might be smuggling this one from across the border.

P.S. Yes that is a picture of one of the new knives in my title.