"Waffles of Insane Greatness"

The last time I was in NYC my friends we were visiting decided we needed to check out a restaurant called "Amy Ruth's" for their famous chicken & waffles. So we did. It's in Harlem and we had a little ways to walk and 9-month-old Macey hitched a ride in the Baby Bjorn. People in Harlem are very friendly and they really like babies, at least the ones I encountered were. I had multiple big black men come up and kiss my baby right on her sweet little face. It's funny now, though I remember being a little concerned back then. We both survived and made it to Amy Ruth's and that's where I discovered the BEST waffles I have EVER tasted. (the chicken was surprisingly good too, if you're ever there try it out!) They were crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. I've been on a waffle recipe hunt since to find one like it and I finally did. The name of the recipe says it all "Waffles of Insane Greatness". The only trouble is, I don't really like ordinary waffles anymore, they've raised my waffle standards to a whole new level.

Try these, they do not disappoint but be aware, you will probably turn into a waffle snob.

Waffles of Insane Greatness:
(from www.realmomkitchen.com)

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour ( I used whole wheat)
  
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1½ tsp. sugar
• ½ cup whole milk ( I used skim with great results)
  
• ½ cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• ¾ tsp. vanilla extract

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Whisk together to blend.
2. In another mixing bowl, beat together the whole milk, buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients and whisk just until incorporated and few lumps remain. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat a waffle iron. Fill waffle wells and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Cook until crisp and golden. Serve immediately. Yield: depends on the size/shape of your waffle iron.

*** This makes a small batch, so I would definitely double or triple the recipe

This is Uncle Pat's waffle, I forgot to take a picture of one with fixins on it, till he was almost done with the last one.

Apple Cider Doughnuts

So I didn't take the picture. Or for that matter come up with the recipe. Both are from a favorite food blog smitten kitchen. Her posts are funny and sometimes even better than the recipes are her funny pictures and comments about her son. But anyhow, i digress. These doughnuts are amazing. Everything below the title is all the author but here are a couple of notes from my experience:

- The author says that the cider should reduce to 1/4 of a cup in about 20 minutes. Mine took closer to 45, just put it on early and let it simmer and simmer, longer than you would think.

- The doughnuts are supposed to go in the fridge for 20 minutes before you fry them. 20 minutes is definitely only a starting time. I have left my doughnuts in for alot longer without any problems.

- I have only ever dipped the doughnuts in cinnamon and sugar so I can't say anything about the glaze except that after dipping them in cinnamon and sugar I wouldn't have them any other way.

- One more thing, a doughnut cutter makes these really really easy, that is the one special piece of equipment needed to make these and a 3.5 in cutter is a perfect size for smallish doughnuts and perfect sized doughnut holes (after eating 10 doughnuts you will appreciate that at least they were "smallish").

Apple Cider Doughnuts
Adapted from Lauren Dawson at Hearth Restaurant

Makes 18 doughnuts + 18 doughnut holes (suggested yield for a 3-inch cutter; my larger one yielded fewer)

Most apple cider doughnuts, despite their name, are kind of a bummer because they don’t taste very apple-y. One of the many things that appealed to me about this recipe was the way the apple cider was reduced and concentrated to hopefully give it more presence. And despite the fact that these are cake doughnuts, which have always played second fiddle to yeast doughnuts in my experience (likely because cake are more likely to get stale sooner, or you know, by the time you buy them), I think this is all the more reason to make them at home.

1 cup apple cider
3 1/2 cups flour, plus additional for the work surface
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 2 ounces) butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
Vegetable oil or shortening (see my explanation in the post) for frying

Toppings (optional)
Glaze (1 cup confectioners’ sugar + 2 tablespoons apple cider)
Cinnamon sugar (1 cup granulated sugar + 1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon)

Make the doughnuts: In a saucepan over medium or medium-low heat, gently reduce the apple cider to about 1/4 cup, 20 to 30 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed (with the paddle attachment, if using a standing mixer) beat the butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue to beat until the eggs are completely incorporated. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the reduced apple cider and the buttermilk, mixing just until combined. Add the flour mixture and continue to mix just until the dough comes together.

Line two baking sheets with parchment or wax paper and sprinkle them generously with flour. Turn the dough onto one of the sheets and sprinkle the top with flour. Flatten the dough with your hands until it is about 1/2 inch thick. Use more flour if the dough is still wet. Transfer the dough to the freezer until it is slightly hardened, about 20 minutes. Pull the dough out of the freezer. Using a 3-inch or 3 1/2-inchdoughnut cutter — or a 3 1/2-inch round cutter for the outer shape and a 1-inch round cutter for the hole from a set like this, as I did — cut out doughnut shapes. Place the cut doughnuts and doughnut holes onto the second sheet pan. Refrigerate the doughnuts for 20 to 30 minutes. (You may re-roll the scraps of dough, refrigerate them briefly and cut additional doughnuts from the dough.)

Add enough oil or shortening to a deep-sided pan to measure a depth of about 3 inches. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and heat over medium heat until the oil reaches 350°F*. Have ready a plate lined with several thicknesses of paper towels.

Make your toppings (if using): While the cut doughnut shapes are in the refrigerator, make the glaze by whisking together the confectioners’ sugar and the cider until the mixture is smooth; make the cinnamon sugar by mixing the two together. Set aside.

Fry and top the doughnuts: Carefully add a few doughnuts to the oil, being careful not to crowd the pan, and fry until golden brown, about 60 seconds. Turn the doughnuts over and fry until the other side is golden, 30 to 60 seconds. Drain on paper towels for a minute after the doughnuts are fried. Dip the top of the warm doughnuts into the glaze or cinnamon sugar mixture (if using) and serve immediately.

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cream Cheese Syrup

Pancake Batter
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 to 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cup milk
2 to 3 tbsp. oil or melted butter
1 tsp vanilla

Mix the dry ingredients. Mix the wet ingredients. Mix wet & dry ingredients together until moistened (try to avoid over mixing). Cook on skillet or griddle over medium heat.

The syrup requires a little experimenting. You can use canned cream cheese frosting thinned with milk, vanilla frosting mixed with some cream cheese then thinned, or make some cream cheese frosting from scratch. (You can try 4oz cream cheese, ¼ cup margarine, 1 cup powdered sugar, ½ tsp vanilla, milk to thin to your desired consistency.) These are also good with regular maple syrup sprinkled with a little cinnamon.