Lemon Belgian Waffles {with Blueberry Syrup}

It's almost officially the weekend! And weekends mean brunch. Or breakfast for dinner. Pancakes. Eggs. Sausage. Bacon. Waffles.

WAFFLES.

I used to think that waffles were just pancakes all dressed up. With little holes to catch the syrup. Wonderful little holes!

Or to prevent you from spreading butter smoothly across the surface. Evil little holes!

But then my parents gave us a Belgian waffle maker for our anniversary. YUM. Not only does the waffle iron make waffle making fun (it flips over like those ones you always see at hotel continental breakfasts), but the waffles themselves are delicious! They are crispy and light, just perfect for toppings of fresh fruit and whipped cream.

This particular recipe just pops with fresh lemon flavor and gets an extra dose of indulgence from  freshly make blueberry syrup. I tell you, even though the waffles are first rate, the real star of this show is the syrup. It is a gorgeous purple color and a perfect balance of sweet and just slightly tart.

When you've polished off all your waffles, you just might have some of this syrup leftover, so let me clue you in on what to do with the remaining deliciousness (besides just eating it by the spoonful). Last week we served they syrup atop vanilla ice cream at our church potluck- oh, heaven! This week, I have been stirring a tablespoon into my plain Greek yogurt every morning in lieu of my usual honey- oh, double heaven (is that a thing?)! I'm going to miss it when it's gone. Oh, well...guess I'll just have to make some more...

Lemon Belgian Waffles with Blueberry Syrup

(printable version)

from Cooking Classy

makes about 6 waffles

Waffles:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup milk

2 TB vegetable oil

2 TB applesauce

2 large eggs, separated

2 TB white sugar

1 1/2 TB lemon zest

2 TB fresh lemon juice

Preheat a Belgian waffle iron and grease lightly.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, milk, vegetable oil, applesauce, 2 egg yolks, sugar, zest and lemon juice. In a small bow with an electric hand mixer (or in the bowl of a stand mixer), beat 2 egg whites until soft peaks form.

Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture, whisking as you do so, just until combined (don't overmix- batter should be slightly lumpy). Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in egg whites until combined. 

Spoon about 3/4 cup batter onto hot waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer's directions, until golden (cooking time will vary). Slowly lift lid when finished and carefully remove waffle. Repeat with remaining waffles and serve warm with blueberry syrup if desired.

Blueberry Syrup:

1 cup white sugar

2 TB cornstarch

1 cup cold water

2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 1/2 TB fresh lemon juice

Whisk together sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Stir in water, add blueberries and lemon juice. Cook mixture over medium high heat, stirring frequently until mixture reaches a boil.

Reduce heat to medium low and boil gently for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Pour syrup into a blender, cover and blend on low speed about 1 minute or until well pureed. 

Serve over waffles, ice cream, yogurt, etc.

Berry-Lime Granita

So, this is seriously my new favorite thing about summer.

My wheels are turning with all sorts of ideas for different flavors. I can't wait to try them! With all the fresh fruits available during the summer, the possibilities are endless.

The first flavor combo I have tried for a granita is strawberry-blueberry. The inspiration came from the fresh fruit I have and the recipe came from the web, of course. I sort of tweaked it a little and it was fabulous! The icy treat was so refreshing after a hot day and it fairly burst with fruit flavor- most noticeably, the fresh lime. In addition to the deliciousness of this treat, other added benefits are that it's crazy easy and it's  actually good for you! Full of fresh fruit, lightly sweetened, this is the guilt-free summer dessert I've been searching for!

Berry-Lime Granita

(printable version)

adapted from HMH Designs

serves 4-6

2 cups fresh strawberries

1 cup fresh blueberries

Zest and juice from 1 lime

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

Put berries in blender and puree until smooth. 

Combine water and sugar in saucepan or microwave safe bowl and heat until sugar is dissolved.

Add lime zest, juice and sugar/water mixture to berries and pulse to combine. Pour into glass baking dish and freeze. 

Every 30 min. or so, using whisk or fork, scrape mixture and stir frozen edges toward center. Total time, about 3 hrs or until mixture is frozen, but not solid. Scrape mixture again before serving, breaking up any solid pieces. 

If granita becomes too hard, simply leave it out for a few minutes, scrape, and return to freezer.

Huckleberry-Ricotta Pancakes {with Honey Syrup}

Travis and I do not have TV (we have a TV, we just don't get TV), so it is a rare and special occasion when we get to watch The Food Network at his parent's house. I love cooking shows, and I have to admit, my guilty pleasure is "Cupcake Wars" which starts late on Sunday nights. When we were there a few weeks ago, however, we amused ourselves with watching several episodes of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives", where the host travels around the country sampling fare from many different local establishments. As we watched the chef of one restaurant prepare a few of his staple favorites, I was drawn in. Not only did he make his own fresh ricotta cheese, he then proceeded to make these amazing looking pancakes. I thought to myself, I can do that. So it promptly went on my menu. Now, I googled the combination and came up with many recipes, but I decided to try tweaking a fairly simple one that I discovered, appropriately enough, on the Food Network website.
Travis and I don't get to cook together very often- that is usually a luxury we enjoy on his day off, cooking breakfast together. So it was a special treat to whip up these scrumptious pancakes with him, laughing, blasting Keith Green music and inhaling delicious aromas of berries, coffee and bacon.
The pancakes were absolutely fantastic! I am not much of a pancake girl myself, but these are not any old pancakes. Although the recipe is very little altered from a traditional pancake mix and water regimen, the minor additions make a major difference. I am certain you could get crazy with making your own pancake mix from scratch (which, incidentally, isn't that difficult), but if you have a giant bag of Krusteaz in your pantry that needs to be used up (like I do), why would you? Anyhow, complicated or no, these beautiful pancakes are a winner in my book. The addition of ricotta cheese to the batter made the cakes light and creamy, almost melting in your mouth. The tang of the beautiful berries (blueberries would work just as well here, if you don't have huckleberries handy) kept it from being overly sweet, and the honey syrup...oh, the honey syrup!
While Travis flipped the flapjacks, I worked on the syrup which was suggested by the Food Network to pour over our pancakes. I was slightly skeptical, and ended up reading the recipe wrong (in my defense, it is written in a confusing way!) and had to make the whole thing over. But the end result was well worth it. Something about the honey perfectly complimented the other flavors. This recipe is definitely a keeper and one that would be just as well suited to a quiet weekend breakfast as a special brunch for company.

Huckleberry-Ricotta Pancakes with Honey Syrup
(printable version)

originally by Giada De Laurentiis of the Food Network

serves about 4

For Pancakes:

1 2/3 cups water

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups pancake mix (Krusteaz recommended)

1 cup ricotta cheese

2/3 cup frozen huckleberries (or blueberries)

For Syrup:

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup honey

In small saucepan, dissolve sugar in 1/3 cup water over medium heat (about 5 min). Stir in honey and keep syrup warm.

Heat griddle to medium heat.

Stir 1 2/3 cups water and vanilla together in large bowl. 

Add pancake mix and stir just until moistened but still lumpy. 

Stir in ricotta, gently incorporating, but maintaining lumpy batter.

Fold huckleberries in gently.

Grease griddle lightly with butter or oil. 

Working in batches, spoon 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle for each pancake.

Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Serve with honey syrup.

Source: Food Network

Huckleberry Pie

Until I moved to northeastern Washington, I had never had a huckleberry. The first summer we were married, Travis and I lived in Kettle Falls, and a couple in the church there brought us a container-full, which I used in some muffins, I think. Both in Kettle Falls, and here in Cusick, when we moved, we kept hearing people talk about "their" huckleberry patches, and the right times to "go picking." It seemed huckleberry picking was a bit of an initiation to living in the rural northwest! If you have never had a huckleberry, it is a wild berry, similar to a commercial blueberry, though smaller and more tart. The bushes grow in relatively high elevation, and are not currently cultivated commercially anywhere, as far as I can tell. If you are fortunate enough to live in huckleberry country, you may find someone selling the wild berries on a street corner or in front of your local supermarket. Last week, Travis and I were invited to come pick huckleberries at the home of one of our church folks. They have a great patch on the hill by their house, but due to some physical limitations, are unable to reach the rather steep slope on which the berries grow. So, we grabbed our buckets and set to picking- some for us and some for them, munching a few along the way, of course! We soon found that picking the wild berries is a bit of an art form. They do not generally grow in large clusters, but have to be searched out, usually found hiding under leaves. They are small and so are the bushes.



It took us awhile to accumulate very many berries, but it was fun and relaxing to sit under the pines (staining jeans as well as hands!) and quietly harvest little berries, squirrels chattering overhead.

When I got my share of the berries home, I decided to make a pie!



I found a recipe on allrecipes.com, and for my first attempt, I think it turned out pretty well!



I followed one reviewer's advice and added additional cornstarch, since the berries tend to be very juicy, but it still gushed juice when I sliced the cooled pie later (I just scooped out the juice and put in on ice cream later- no waste there!).



I also could have added more sugar, as the pie was still pretty tart! However, I just sprinkled a little added sugar on my piece to make up for it. :)



These tweaks aside, it was a real northwestern experience! I still have 3-4 cups of berries left in my freezer, so we'll see what I can do with those...