An anniversary brunch.

As part of a celebratory brunch, we tried a new waffle recipe. M. and I both love waffles, but we tend to reserve them for a special treat as they aren't always the most filling of meals. But we thought our anniversary merited the trying of Mark Bittman's buttermilk waffle recipe. And then we decided to take the event up yet another notch by enjoying a bottle of champagne along with our waffley goodness. This bottle of Nicolas Feuillatte was given to us by a dear friend on the occasion of my (second) graduation from graduate school. While M. and I are big fans of sparkling wine (me perhaps more than M.), we tend to save real champagnes for an actual occasion. But a prosecco or cava, or a sparkling wine lacking the distinctive champagne classification but still yielding bubbles might make a more regular appearance on our table. We're big fans of the Nicolas Feuillatte champagnes - we find them reasonably priced and yet as crisp and flavorful as other champagnes with much heftier pricetags. [This now concludes my amateur wine review - I anticipate that M. will be emailing me shortly with his more oeneophilic perspective once he sees what I've written and if that is the case, I will add his thoughts to the wine review.]


Here are our lovely waffles. M. was kind enough to make them for me, which was a lovely treat. As much as I love to cook, I also love to be cooked for and was quite happy to sit back and relax while the kitchen hummed with activity. M. separated the finished batter into two bowls and added blueberries to one, and chocolate chips to the other. He had blueberry waffles and I had my favorite - chocolate chip waffles! Does life get any better? The waffles were sprinkled with fresh berries, and served with delicious maple syrup. And the champagne of course complimented the meal delightfully. Mmmmm.........


Rich Buttermilk Waffles
Mark Bittman - How to Cook Everything
Makes 4-6 servings (M. halved recipe)

The best waffles you can make at the last minute, with a sour tang that sets of maple syrup beautifully.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cup buttermilk or 1 1/2 cups sour cream or plain yogurt thinned with 1/4 cup milk
2 eggs, separated
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter melted and cooled
1/2 tsp vanillar extract
canola or neutral oil for brushing on waffle iron (M. used cooking spray)

1. Combine dry ingredients. Mix together the buttermilk and egg yolks. Stir in the butter and vanilla (if using).
2. Brush waffle iron lightly with oil and preheat. Stir the wet into the dry ingredients. Beat egg whites with the whisk or electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. Stir them gently into the batter.
3. Spread a ladleful or so of batter onto the waffle iron and bake until waffle was done (usually 3-5 minutes). Serve immediately, or keep warm in low oven.

For buttermilk - you can sub 1 3/4 cups of milk at room temperature mixed with 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and left to clabber for ten minutes.


Time - 10 minutes plus time to bake

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