Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Heavenly Buttermilk Waffles & Meeting Martha Stewart


Before we got married we registered for a waffle maker - make that I registered for a waffle maker and nearly 99% of everything else on the registry! Anyway, our dear friend Veronica C. ended up getting it for us (along with a juice maker), and I can officially say I've now perfected making waffles on it. 

Now it wasn't an easy process. The first time I tried it was awful. I know I constantly praise America's Test Kitchen, but this was the one time they failed me. Their recipe had waaay too many steps including separating the egg whites, and the result was a dense, cakey waffle. Ugggh! I ended up throwing out the batter. So  . . .


I started thinking, who would know how to make a classic buttermilk waffle? My dad makes pretty good waffles, and I think I recall asking him how he makes them, but for some reason I kept exploring on my own and came across a Martha Stewart recipe. JACKPOT! They were perfect! Thank you Martha :-*


Now I have to pause here and interject my personal Martha Stewart story:

When I was working for the man, I had the opportunity to meet Martha Stewart at her book signing at the Columbus Circle Williams-Sonoma for her last cookbook, Martha Stewart's Cooking School. Now this was open to the public and a loooong queue started to form, but because I was in the media industry I got to bypass everyone, receive a free book and get it signed by her upstairs in the home section (the public signing was downstairs). There were about 30-40 people there invited for the same experience. 

Anyway, I heard from one of her handlers that she was in a foul mood having not been invited to some big event that was happening that weekend. He informed me that she wouldn't have attended it anyway, but she felt slighted by not being invited. Well, having read her unofficial biography over the course of several study halls during my senior year of high school, I knew I needed to tread lightly. 

She finally appeared with a tense expression on her face and was seated at a large, imposing desk. I grasped my book tightly in my hand and waited my turn in line. When I got to her I just expected her to sign and move on, but when given the slip of paper with the spelling of my name, she asked "Quiana? Oh, that's different! How did your parents come up with that?" 

Uhhhh . . . what was I supposed to say?! I just said, "They're quite creative! Thank you." And I moved on. It's not like she said it in a nice friendly way. It was as though I was a FREAK. Oh well. I still like her business sense, but she is very cold. Afterward, I went with her staff to Landmarc for an afterparty which included a huge appetizer buffet and cocktails. It helped warm things up a bit after my cold encounter. Anyway, here's a pic of her signing the book and the actual signature:












Now back to the regularly schedule program . . .

I had invited a few ladies over for a holiday cookie exchange brunch this past December, and I made them and they were a hit. I topped them with blueberries and homemade whip cream. We had crisp bacon and OJ on the side. Afterward, I could hardly eat any cookies!

Anyway, here's the recipe including in-progress pics I took this morning:

Martha Stewart's Everyday Food Buttermilk Waffles

Prep Time: 10 min
Total Time: 30 min

Ingredients:
  • 2 c flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 c lowfat buttermilk
  • 1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • Vegetable oil, for waffle iron
 I like to get set up my ingredients beforehand according to mise en place:


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees; set a rack on a baking sheet, and place in oven. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, butter, and eggs; add flour mixture, and mix just until batter is combined.


2. Heat waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions; brush with oil. Pour batter onto iron (amount depends on iron size), leaving a 1/2-inch border on all sides (spread batter if necessary). Close iron; cook until waffles are golden brown and crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to rack in oven to keep warm; repeat with remaining batter.



Enjoy!