On the 7th and Final Day of Waffle Week

On the 7th and Final Day of Waffle Week, we went all out! Buttermilk Waffles with Sausage Gravy and side of Cinnamon Apple Compote for brunch this morning, and tonight -Thai Green Curry with Chicken served over a slightly sweet waffle made with lime juice, coconut milk, and cilantro, and for dessert, added in chopped Banana, and topped it with Caramel Sauce made from sweetened condensed milk. As strange as it all sounds, it was pretty amazing.

For brunch we went for "Old Faithful", or our family traditional. I went ahead and made the batter, using the Buttermilk recipe in Breakfast in Bed- by Jesse Cool
1 c flour
1/4 tsp bkg soda
3/4 tsp bkg pwdr
1 1/2 T sugar
pinch of salt
2 eggs separated- whites whipped and folded in at the end
1 c. buttermilk
3 T butter, melted ( I used oil)

For the Sausage Gravy- I fry up and brown a tube of sausage (using part regular and part "hot" is great as well), draining grease if need be. Add several T of flour and stir in, and brown a bit more. Add milk to make a good gravy- probably 3 c. or so. Skim milk does not work the best. I actually had most of the base for the gravy in the freezer and only had to add extra milk. It may not look the prettiest, but it sure tastes great!

For the apples, I peel and slice a whole pan full of apples, add a bit of lemon juice, a bit of apple juice, and eventually several shakes of cinnamon, and a small amount of brown sugar to taste. I cook on low until soft. They are yummy on a waffle by themselves with maple syrup, or served along with the gravy.

Our Thai Waffle night was primarily my husband's endeavor. He found a recipe on-line for Bangkok Savory Waffles by Jeffery Alford adn Naomi Duguid at www.leitesculiaria.com that of course we adapted some a bit. The original recipe was as follows:
Bangkok Waffles
1/4 cup rice flour or rice starch
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup canned coconut milk, plus a little more if needed
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup tiniest dried shrimp (We omitted- ewww- yuck!)
Peanut oil or vegetable oil for frying
20 to 30 coriander leaves

These were originally intended as a rather chewy, crepe/pancake to dip in a thin sauce. After making a baby one in the skillet on the stove, Bill decided he wanted a bit more traditional waffle, with the same sweet, tangy flavor. So, once again we pulled out the box of Krusteaz and I added "some"- "What? Why didn't you measaure it?" he said. But I think it was about 1/2 c. Then I added 1 T or so more of lime juice, some more coconut milk to make a thick batter, and finally, beat the egg white and folded it in. By themselves, the waffles were flavorful, slightly sweet, with a bit of tang from the lime and would have needed quite a bit more cilantro for it to have had more than visual impact. Rachel says they were just "odd". The rest of us thought they were terrific with the curry Bill had made and I'm eager to try them as crepes with the dipping sauce from the original recipe.

Chicken in Green Curry Sauce:
Once again, we were trying for something a bit easier. Bill started with browning onion, added red pepper to it, then chunks of chicken breast. He poured in a jar of Trader Joes Green Curry Sauce that a friend had given us once upon a time ago and doctored it with extra broth, lime juice, coconut milk, and a touch of heavy cream, and finally, fresh cilantro. Ok, having a good jar of green paste would have been easier, but we didn't have one!

We served the curry on top of the waffle, and all but Rachel thought it fabulous, which was expected. The waffles were such an intriguing taste, that I decided to try my friend's suggestion. She had told me at the beginning of this adventure that her daughter's favorite breakfast in Thailand was banana pancakes with sweetened condensed milk on top. I'm not a huge banana fan, nor is anyone in the family. But, gotta try it, and this was the perfect time. We first tried some left over plain buttermilk batter waffle with banana on top, with a caramel made from sweetened condensed milk (left over in the fridge). DELICIOUS! Then we made a waffle from the Thai batter, and put the banana inside- chopped small- again topped with caramel. EVEN BETTER! Four non-banana lovers thought it was great!

Caramel
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk.
Heat on stove in heavy pan on low heat, stirring almost constantly, till it comes to a boil and is a pudding consistency. Remove from heat. Add addional water or milk as needed to thin.

So, we sadly brought our waffle week to a close, after having a terrific week filled with great food and lots of fun!
Bon Appetit if you try any!