Pour it On!

Yesterday I shared my homemade syrup recipe, so I thought it only prudent that I should share some of my favorite things to put it on!

Belgian Waffles

courtesy of Emeril Lagasse

2 cups cake flour 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

4 large eggs, separated 

2 tablespoons sugar 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 

2 cups milk 

non-stick cooking spray

Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. In 1 medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a second bowl use the wooden spoon to beat together the egg yolks and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and eggs have turned a pale yellow. Add the vanilla extract, melted butter, and milk to the eggs and whisk to combine. Combine the egg-milk mixture with the flour mixture and whisk just until blended. Do not over mix. In third bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Using the rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter. Do not overmix! Coat the waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray and pour enough batter in iron to just cover waffle grid. Close and cook as per manufacturer's instructions until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

This recipe has a lot more steps than most, but it's all worth it, I promise!  After making these an average of once a week for the last couple of years, I've easily found a rhythm when making these divine waffles.  They cook up beautifully in my plain old boring waffle maker...perfectly golden-brown with a little bit of a crispy bite.  By the way, if you don't have cake flour, don't fret.  You can make your own!  For every 2 cups of cake flour required, use 1 3/4 cups flour + 1/4 cup cornstarch.  Or you can just do what I do when I'm feeling lazy and just use a little less flour than the recipe calls for.  Cake flour is light and delicate, so using less flour sort of makes sense, right?  Well, at the very least, I'm happy with the results I get.  You'll have to try it out for yourself.  

I am often asked what the secret is for my pancakes.  Well not much, really.  Yes, they are pretty yummy, but I will sheepishly admit that what I do to make my pancakes is nothing too original:  I use Bisquick.  On the back of the Bisquick box are the directions for making pancakes, with two other options below the original recipe.  What did I do?  I combined the 3 recipes one morning and I loved the results!  Here it is:

Hearty Pancakes

2 cups Bisquick

1 cup milk

2 eggs

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat griddle or skillet over medium-high heat or electric griddle to 350 degrees; grease with cooking spray, vegetable oil or shortening.  (Surface is ready when a few drops of water sprinkled on it dance and disappear.)

Stir all ingredients until blended.  Pour by slightly less than 1/4 cupfuls onto hot griddle.  Cook until edges are dry.  Turn; cook until golden.  

French Toast

18-20 slices of bread (I love to use my homemade Honey-Whole Wheat bread)

2 cups milk

3 eggs

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Combine eggs, milk, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla in a shallow bowl; mix well.  

Dip each slice of bread into the milk mixture, coating both sides well.  Cook on a nice hot griddle (about 350 degrees) for about 2-3 minutes.  Flip ‘em over and cook them for another 2 minutes or until golden brown.

Homemade Syrup

When I was a kid my family ate lots of pancakes, waffles and french toast.  With five kids in the family, we went through a LOT of syrup.  I believe my mother was very wise, as she always made her own syrup and probably saved a ton of money by doing so.  Ever since, I've always preferred homemade syrup, unless I have the money to fork out for a jar of the real thing (like the kind made from maple trees in Vermont).  Since I usually can't muster the courage to empty my wallet on a 12oz. jar of genuine maple syrup, I resolved to make my own just as my mother did and still does.  The pros:  I can determine the amount of sugar, the thickness, the flavor and the cost.  The cons:  it's not the real deal.  Try it out:

Homemade Maple Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup corn syrup
1 1/2-2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. Mapleine imitation maple (I prefer this brand, but it can be substituted with any imitation maple)
1/2 tsp. butter extract (optional)

In a large saucepan, combine water, corn syrup and sugar over medium-high heat.  Stir often; bring to a boil.  While stirring, allow mixture to boil for about another 30 seconds.  Remove from heat.  Stir in Mapleine and butter extract if desired.  Mix well and let cool.

The syrup will thicken as it cools.  If you want thicker syrup, you can boil it a little longer or increase the amount of corn syrup.