Sunday, January 9, 2011

Sunday Brunch: Brown Butter Belgian Waffles



Last Sunday I was finally, after 3 1/2 years together, able to take the Boy to his first NFL game.  It's crazy with all of the trips we've taken back to Boston that the schedules just hadn't worked out.  Not only did I want him to experience I game, I've been dying to get to one.  After years of being in Boston with the family's season tickets the move to LA and then TO got in the way of  my game attendance and it's been far too long since I've been to a game.

Now if you talk to my brother, he's all about the parking lot tailgate before the game and don't get me wrong I'm a huge fan of the tailgate, in the warmer months.  But January 2.....I don't think so.  Plus my parents live literally 5 minutes from the stadium and when Mom is home, she tends to be pretty willing to play taxicab for us.  Taking this all into account I planned an inside brunch tailgate at my parents house.  This is actually the only meal I cooked the entire time I was in Boston for the holidays and it was pretty fab which is why I had to share it with you.

I was lucky enough to receive Karen DeMasco's The Craft of Baking for Christmas and couldn't wait to start baking from it.  A recipe that immediately popped out as something I had to make while visiting the parents where her Brown Butter Waffles.  They had to be made in Boston because we don't have a waffle iron.  Plus waffles are one of my favorite brunch items and it seemed smart to me to carb-load a bit before a day of drinking at the football game, especially since we started drinking with coffee and homemade Bailey's (which is amazing by the way and so ridiculously easy that I advise making it right away)




Brown Butter Waffles
From The Craft of Baking By Karen DeMasco & Mindy Fox

6 Tbsps unsalted butter - cut into pieces
1 cup plus 2 Tbsps unbleached All-Purpose flour
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp packed dark brown sugar - Mom & Dad only had light so that's what I went with
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs - separated
melted unsalted butter for the waffle iron

1.  In a small sauce pan melt 6 Tbsps of butter over medium-high heat; continue cooking until butter turns brown and has a nutty fragrance, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat
2.  In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk and egg yolks. Whisk the wet ingredients together, gently working them into the dry ingredients until just combined. Add the browned butter and whisk until fully absorbed (at this point batter can keep fro several hours or up to 2 days in the refrigerator)
3.  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or using a hand mixer, beat the eggs whites to soft peaks.  Gently fold the whites into the batter in two additions.
4.  Lightly brush both sides of the waffle iron with melted butter and cook the waffles according to the manufacturer's instructions.  For belgian waffles I used 1/3 cup of batter for each waffle and cooked them for 4 minutes.

I was pleasantly surprised with how my very first waffle-making experience went.  They were crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, an ideal waffle for me.  We served them as a waffle bar, with berries, maple syrup, raspberry syrup and of course whipped cream!  We also had pan-fried peameal on the side and don't forget the Bailey's and coffee too.  Everyone, even my Dad, the waffle-making guru in our house approved of the waffles. The boy even suggested we might need to get an iron for home!  I won't dispute that.

So with bellies pleasantly full and and an ever so slight boozy buzz, we headed to the game, courtesy of Mom of course.  We enjoyed a beer or three in the parking lot before heading in to watch the Pats Squish the Fish!  It couldn't have been a better first game back for me, or a better first game for the boy. Not only did the Pats win but I had two of my most hardened Pats fans to help him navigate the how the real fans watch the game.

I highly recommend working these waffles into your sunday brunch or tailgating routines, they are dead simple and delicious and maybe they'll bring your team the amazing game they brought mine!


Enjoy!

Please check out me new blog no reEATS, where myself and 2 other fabulous ladies have committed to not repeating any dinner recipe for 365 days.  There will be a new post each and every day with at least one of the recipes we have made.  I can't wait to hear what you think!

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