What's for Dinner?05/12/04"The Night Before" Waffles(yields about ten waffles) Nothing I've found beats the rich, yeasty taste and crunchy body of these hearty waffles. It takes about ten minutes the night before to get the batter ready so that it can rise overnight, but the next morning, preparation is a snap.
2. Add the milk, flour, and salt. Whisk well to combine. Then whisk in the melted butter. Cover with plastic wrap, and let the batter stand at room temperature overnight. 3. The next morning, heat the waffle irons. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and baking soda into the risen batter. (Don't be concerned that this deflates the batter.) 4. Bake the waffles. Tips * I take the chill off the milk by heating it in the microwave for a minute. * I also melt the butter in the microwave, but one has to be very careful doing this because an enormous mess is always just seconds away. I heat tablespoon-sized chunks of butter in a Pyrex measuring cup for no more than ten seconds at a time, then I take the cup out, swirl it, and repeat the process until only a few small bits of butter are left (which the residual heat in the cup will soon melt). If you leave the butter heating too long, however, it will splatter all over the microwave. * You can easily add fruit or nuts to your waffles in one of two ways: My preferred method is to add them to the batter with the eggs so that they can be well incorporated. (You just have to make sure that they don't all sink to the bottom when you're spooning out the batter.) Alternatively, you can sprinkle them over the batter once it's in the iron, just before closing the lid. The drawback to this method is that the heat of the iron tends to scorch the fruit and nuts because they aren't covered by any batter. * You can try to keep cooked waffles warm on wire racks in the oven, but their texture will deteriorate rapidly. Instead, I strongly recommend the purchase of two waffle irons so that the entire family can eat together. Failing that, eat in shifts. * I also strongly recommend buying waffle irons that generate at least 650 watts of power. * If you like your waffles more golden brown than dark brown, be sure to rest them briefly on wire racks before plating them. This allows steam to escape that would otherwise make them soggy. With crisp, well-cooked waffles, this isn't really a problem.
If you have tried one of these recipes and have an improvement or tip or variation to suggest, please e-mail David at dinner@wamc.org. Also feel free to send along your own family cuisine recipes. You can even request dishes that you'd like David to present in the future. David Rubel is president of Agincourt Press, a book production company in Chatham, New York. He spends his days writing American history, then heads home after work to cook for his wife and two young children. His most recent book is The Story of America (DK, 2002). |
