Recipe 69: Buttermilk Waffles

The challenge: Working the waffle maker with a little patience.

The batter is easy, cake flour, sugar, yellow cornmeal, baking soda, salt, and well-shaken buttermilk, some eggs, some vanilla extract(we use whiskey cured), and 8 tablespoons of melted butter. I didn't say a word about healthy now, this is a southern delicacy, otherwise known as soul-food. It feeds the soul, but does not make a temple out of your body. I mixed the ingredients that morning while I was turning the chicken over in its marinating bag (see Recipe 68: Fried Chicken etc...), and prepared the waffle maker I've only attempted a time or two before.

The waffle maker, like frying chicken requires a little patience. I think all cooking does, and patience is not one of my strong suits. Maybe I'm drawn to cooking for its practical application of working toward the goal of improving myself. In all honesty, I expect I'm drawn to cooking because the food tastes good;-). Aren't survival instincts funny. Don't tell my ego, I might learn something along the way. Like, if you think the waffle is done, leave it alone and wait for it to stop steaming like you were told to;-). Right, when is the last time I listened. Fortunately, waffles are forgiving, and they still cook with the iron partially open often and much.

And while most of us who got to try this batch of recipes wondered how buttermilk waffles go with fried chicken-especially when paired with things like vanilla, black pepper and hot sauce; we all enjoyed this excellent meal.

I will definitely make this recipe again, as soon as I get my hands on a waffle iron. Or, I will turn them into buttermilk pancakes for the kids next time I borrow them.