Waffles of the World, unite! Today is International Waffle Day!

My husband is the breakfast champ.  I spent too many years working early morning waitress shift at a truck stop during high school to find any enjoyment making breakfast, but my husband lives to make it and the day does not really start without it (especially for him).  Chas has been ill this week and oatmeal and cereal for breakfast has been the height of my creativity.   However when he is well my husband makes great waffles.

This is his Belgian Waffle recipe:

Chas’ Belgian Waffles

Yield 5to 7

Ingredients

• 1 ¾ cups cake flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 Tbls. sugar
• 3 eggs (yolks separated from whites)
• 2 Tbls. melted butter or oil
• 1 ½ cups milk
• ½ to ¾ cup beer  (or add ¼ to ½ cup dry malt to milk adding more milk for volume)

Directions

1. Blend dry ingredients in a bowl
2. Beat egg yolks and add in oil, milk then beer.
3. Make a hole in the dry ingredients and pour liquid in.  Combine in a few swift strokes.  Batter will be pebbled, like a muffin batter.
4. Beat egg whites until stiff, fold into batter until just blended.
5. Pour onto heated and oiled (or buttered) waffle iron, cook for 2 to 4 minutes depending on iron.

While looking through recipes trying to convince myself that I could make a more detailed breakfast, I did find these two savory waffle recipes that you can use for dinner rather than breakfast.  They have herbs and cheese and make a great base for serving a casserole or stew over.  I have not decided which one I like more, but well--- bacon!  Either way I like the idea of a waffle instead of potatoes or noodles as a base for a change of pace.  They smell good when they bake too!

Savory Waffles

Yields 6

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 1/2 cups shredded smoked Gouda cheese
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 3 eggs, separated
• 2/3 cup light sour cream
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, garlic salt, parsley, rosemary and tarragon. Stir in the shredded Gouda. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, mix together the egg yolks, buttermilk, sour cream and vegetable oil until well blended. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture, and stir until just blended. In a separate clean bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into the waffle batter.
3. Heat the waffle iron, and grease with vegetable oil spray. Use the recommended amount of batter for each waffle according to your iron. Close the lid, and cook until golden brown. Waffles can be held in a warm oven while the others are cooking. Serve with creamed beef or chicken.

Savory Bacon Waffles

Original Recipe Yield 8 waffles

Ingredients

• 8 slices bacon
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
• 2 tablespoons dried sweet basil
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 tablespoon minced onion

Directions

1. Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet and cook over medium-high heat until evenly browned, about 5 minutes per side. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. Crumble once cooled.
2. Preheat an oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C) to keep the finished waffles warm. Preheat a waffle iron and coat lightly with cooking spray.
3. Combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, Parmesan cheese, parsley, rosemary, basil, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Whisk the milk, eggs, butter, and Dijon mustard together in a small bowl. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and stir until just combined.
4. Pour about 1/3 cup batter into each square of the preheated waffle iron; cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Keep prepared waffles in the preheated oven until all are cooked.
5. Stir the sour cream, sugar, and onion together in a small bowl. Drizzle the onion sauce evenly over the warm waffles. Sprinkle crumbled bacon over the waffles to serve.

 Enjoy these recipes on your Waffle Day!