Waffles

Several years ago I had some of the best waffles I had ever had.  I got the family recipe from a close family friend.  The recipe I got was only the ingredients.  I do not know what I was missing.  But, I was never able to recreate her waffles.  Ever since then I have been playing with the waffles to get them right.  I will start by saying get a good waffle maker.  I know part of my challenge is that my waffle maker is not the best.  I do not think it gets or stays as hot as it should to make good waffles.  That may well be why I have been unsuccessful at recreating the waffles that I had.  I digress.  So, without further ado I give you the recipe that both my husband and I will recreate again and again.

WAFFLES

INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
1 c buttermilk
1 c milk
3 c cake flour
1 t vanilla
1 t salt
1 T baking powder
1/2 extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS
1)  preheat waffle iron to high

2)separate eggs and beat whites to soft peaks, then refrigerate

3)   mix together egg yolks, milk, buttermilk and vanilla

4)  add cake flour, salt, and baking powder to egg yolk, milk mixture until slightly lumpy then mix in oil

5)  fold egg whites into mixture

6)  Use spray grease on waffle iron and let get hot again before pouring appropriate amount of batter into it.  Cook for about 3 minutes, or until golden brown

7)  repeat step 6 for all batter

NOTES:
Makes 4-8 waffles depending on your maker.  In my waffle maker that takes about 2 c batter each it makes 4 waffles.

“The only thing that will make a souffle fall is if it knows you're afraid of it.” James Beard

Souffle's are notoriously temperamental, or so I am told, as it is common knowlege.  Having an overload of egg whites I decided to make one.  It was not as difficult as everyone says.  Let me start with what I could have improved on.  I think that using ramekins or a souffle pan instead of a spring form pan would give better temperature evenness.  I also think I over compensated for the temperature discrepancy in my oven and had it too hot which created a kind of tough exterior.  Barring those two issues I look forward to making souffles in the future.  Those of you who know me know that I consider recipes mere guidelines and have a hard time following them.  After consulting the WorldWideWeb, the Joy of Cooking and a number of other resources I determined my course of action.  Trying to write it down sounds like a lot of steps, but the hardest part is not peeking as my oven door does not have a window.  I will try to give the best approximation of what I did though I would probably suggest following a proven recipe your first time.

BACON STILTON SOUFFLE

INGREDIENTS

1/2 rasher bacon

1/4 c flour

2 c milk

4 oz stilton

1/2 t pepper

8 egg whites

1 T butter

1/4 c bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS

1)  preheat oven to 375

2)  chop up and cook bacon

3)  mix flour to cover bacon

4)  mix in milk and bring to boil stirring frequently

5)  turn off heat and stir in cheese and pepper to melt it and cool sauce

6)  use butter to completely coat inside of souffle pan then coat with bread crumbs to cover and shake out excess

7)  beat egg whites to stiff peaks

8)  gently fold egg whites into bechamel in 3 additions

9)  pour mixture into souffle pan

10)  place souffle pan in a pan to make a water bath

11)  place in oven and put 1-2" of water in pan

12)  bake for approximately 1 hour- do not peek before 30 minutes

13) souffle is done when the top is dry and firm

14) remove from oven and serve imediately as the souffle starts falling the moment it is removed from the oven

The Confessional-not just for breakfast anymore... also known as bacon, donut french toast and eggs with blueberry maple syrup

Deep within my guilty Catholic roots lives a love for decadence and gluttony.  Not that you would notice if you have been reading my blog.

This breakfast was started with leftover donuts from our after church reception.  As if making donuts into french toast was not enough (I blame my husband and father-in-law for the next part)  on vacation with my in-laws we were eating a plethora of bacon and (due to certain peoples weakness for donuts) we had extra donuts.  At this time I thought i had perfected the  donut french toast, made with bacon drippings and served with bacon and eggs.  With my husband about to travel I always spoil him.  You must remind them why they want to come home and make them look forward returning.  I can now say I have perfected the confessional with the addition of blueberry maple syrup.  Your cardiologist will thank me when you get their bill.  To the Raging Mother-in-law I apologize.

This serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1 rasher (3/4 lb)  bacon

6 donuts

1 dz eggs

1 c milk

1 c blueberries

1 c maple syrup

DIRECTIONS

1)  Beat 6 eggs and 1 c milk together 

2)  Put blueberries and maple syrup in a small saucepan and bring to a rolling boil then remove from heat

3)  Cut donuts in half as you would bagels and place, crust side down, in a 13x9 and pour egg & milk mixture over them, making certain to wet the sliced sides, flip after about 10 minutes

4)  Cook bacon to desired doneness, remove from pan, drain and reserve most of the grease, leaving 

     1-2T in pan

5)  Keeping the bacon pan on medium to medium hi put as many donut halves, cut side down, as will

     comfortably fit

6)  After cooking for about 2-3 minutes, when a good brown crust has formed flip the donuts, repeating

     with the second side, removing them from the pan when the appropriate crust has formed

7)  After removing donut french toast from pan pour in about 1 T bacon drippings and prepare remaining eggs as desired.

8)  Serve this (bacon, eggs, and donut french toast topped with blueberry maple syrup) with a song in your heart and joy for sinful indulgence

Hollandaise Sauce

Very rarely would I *ever* consider posting a recipe from another site.  For Hollandaise I will make an exception if for no other reason than I do not think I can improve upon it, much if at all, and it has a terrible reputation.  So this recipe is easy to make, catches the spirit of the original sauce and I think it may bring eggs benedict back into your home.


The only notes I will make is that when Tyler says to remove it from the heat, please set your bowl on a folded towel on the counter so you do not break the sauce.  If you want to try a slightly different flavor you can always add a touch of mustard powder.

Hollandaise Sauce

2000 Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Show: Food 911Episode: Botched Breakfast in Roselle Illinois

• Recipe categories: Fruit, Lemon, Dairy, Eggs, 
  more

Prep Time:

10 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

10 min

Level:

--

Serves:

1 cup

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
• Pinch cayenne
• Pinch salt

Directions

Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler,) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use for the eggs benedict. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.

• EGGS BENEDICT
• 8 slices Canadian bacon
• 4 English muffins, split
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 8 eggs
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Hollandaise sauce, recipe above
• Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

Brown the bacon in a medium skillet and toast the English muffins, cut sides up, on a baking sheet under the broiler.

Fill a 10-inch nonstick skillet half full of water. Add white vinegar to the cooking water. This will make the egg white cook faster so it does not spread. Bring to a slow boil. Gently break 1 of the eggs into the water taking care not to break it. Repeat with remaining eggs. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook 3 1/2 minutes until the egg white is set and yolk remains soft. Remove with a slotted spoon, allowing the egg to drain. To assemble: Lay a slice of Canadian bacon on top of each muffin half, followed by a poached egg. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon hollandaise sauce over the eggs. Garnish with chopped parsley. Yield: 4 servings

Copyright 2012 Television Food Network G.P.
All Rights Reservedhttp://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/hollandaise-sauce-recipe/index.html

Breakfast Sausage

In some earlier messages I discussed sausages; the process and different recipes. I have finally come up with a good breakfast sausage and here it is. This recipe received favorable reviews at a recent event. People loved it on Scotch Eggs. My husband feels that more sage would be nice, so next time we will take the sage up to 1 1/2 T. CATEGORY: Meat Recipe Name: Breakfast sausage Ingredients: 3 lbs pork or other meat 1/2 t allspice 3/4 t caraway 1/2 T marjoram 1 T white pepper 1 T salt 1/2 T garlic 1 T sage Steps: mix all ingredients and leave loose or case NOTES: We use boneless pork rib ends for our sausage but you can use ground chicken just as well. This would probably require more spice or less meat if you used ground beef.

Pancakes

I have always made good pancakes. It's waffles that are the bane of my quick bread existence and unfortunately I am not at liberty to share the wonderful waffle recipe I recently acquired, as it is a friends family secret. Anyway, back to pancakes. I had always used Betty Crocker's pancake recipe, adjusting the liquid, less for thicker pancakes and more liquid for thinner pancakes. We have a restaurant around here that has fluffy, spongy, addictive pancakes that I can not get enough of. Being me, I had to figure out how they got that texture. I had to know. I had to be able to make these pancakes to feed my addiction. This is what I came up with. CATEGORY: Breakfast Recipe Name: pancake Ingredients: 1 c flour 1 c milk 1 egg 1 T honey 1 T grapeseed oil 1 T baking powder 1/2 t vanilla Steps: * mix all ingredients until smooth * warm skillet on med-med-low * lightly oil skillet * pour desired amount of batter into pan and cook about 3 minutes until all bubbles form and almost all bubbles pop * flip pancake and cook for an additional 30-60 seconds * serve NOTES: This batter creates a spongy pancake like a local restaurant makes that I am in LOVE with!

Breakfast of the Gods, the Raging Way

This is a fun protein filled breakfast that tastes as decadent as it sounds. The original did not contain the eggs. I need a little more content to go with all that fat. I encourage child participation on this one. 1 lb good bacon 1 dz eggs 1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese I will post pictures of the differing stages of this later. Weave the bacon into a square, on a piece of foil and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. You want it partially cooked but still pliable. While the bacon is cooking, scramble the eggs, cooking them and grate the cheese When the bacon is ready spread the eggs on the weave the spread the cheese evenly over the eggs and (here is why the foil is important) use the foil to roll the bacon, eggs and cheese into a cylinder and continue baking for another 15 minutes, until everything is firm. When you remove it from the oven let it rest for 5-10 minutes before you cut it. When you cut it I suggest you use tongs to hold it in place and keep it from falling apart. This will feed 4-6 people depending on the people and it you serve toast or not.