Crispy Weekend Waffles

Blueberries are in season right now in Florida and I am addicted. I've been putting them in my cereal, eating them straight out of the container, making muffins... But the one thing I really, truly love is a good blueberry waffle. So, this morning, JiT declared that HE would be making waffles for ME. Yum.

Of course, once he realized he didn't have a recipe or know where the waffle maker lives in our kitchen, I figured I could probably provide a little bit of assistance. So, it became a team effort. We were having such fun, I figured it might be a good time to take some photos and the whole thing became an impromptu culinary and photography lesson. I showed him how to properly fold an egg white into a heavy batter. He showed me how to set the F-stop on our Nikon (hence all the random "action" shots here).

It turned out to be a really fun Saturday morning, ending with a heaping pile of delicious blueberry waffles. These turned out amazingly crispy on the outside, feather light and moist on the inside with the perfect amount of sweetness, a touch of malty tang and delicious blueberry bursts throughout. We even had enough to freeze....which I'm sure we'll be excited about in a month or two when we get hungry after a 5 am baby feeding.

A couple of tips to keep in mind when making waffles -- this recipe (and most really good ones) instruct you to separate your eggs and beat the whites. I know it sounds like a pain in the butt but don't skip this step. Its absolutely the key to a good, light, crispy waffle. Second...instead of piling the baked waffles on a plate when they come out of the waffle iron, I always place mine on a baking rack and then stick them in the oven on "warm." This way steam won't build up around the hot waffles and make them soggy while you finish the batch. They'll be just as warm and crispy when you plate them as when you pulled them off the iron.

We added blueberries to this batch (obviously), but they would be just as delicious with pecans, another kind of berry or even straight up. Make these for someone you love (perhaps for Dad next weekend??) and they will definitely thank you (I sure was thanking JiT)!

Crispy Weekend Waffles

Makes 12-14 waffles

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

2 1/2 Tablespoons malt powder

2 teaspoons corn meal

4 teaspoons baking powder

4 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, separated

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), melted

1 3/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 pint of fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried (optional)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients and stir until evenly mixed. Separate the eggs and add the egg yolks to the dry ingredient mixture.

Place the egg whites in a separate mixing bowl and beat until just stiff enough to form very soft peaks. Set bowl aside.

Add milk, melted butter and vanilla to the dry ingredient mixture and stir just until a smooth batter forms. Add 1/3 of the egg white mixture to the batter and mix the batter to lighten in. Fold in the remaining egg whites just until the batter is light and smooth. Fold in berries or other mix-ins if using.

Ladle mixture onto hot waffle iron and bake according the appliance instructions. Place baked waffles on a baking rack in an oven set at 225 degrees F to keep warm and crisp while you finish the batch. Serve immediately with butter, powdered sugar and syrup.

Note to Jessi/TKTC: If you're reading this, you've likely noticed your blue tea towel making an appearance in the first photo. I SHOULD have given that back to you before we moved, but I never got the chance. So sorry, but its become my favorite towel and I think of you every time I use it. I owe you a new tea towel ; )