Skype and Waffles

Last night my honey and I enjoyed a wonderful double date with my sister Molly and her husband. They live in New Hampshire so we had out date over Skype! We played a very fun game of Pictionary. For those who have never played that before, it is a team played game of drawing pictures and guessing what they are. Pretty simple but very fun. After wards we made some yummy waffles for dinner. So yummy that i am going to share the recipe. :)   

Cornmeal Waffles with Peach Maple Syrup
This recipe was in the Statesman (the Utah State University newspaper)

For the waffles:

1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons flour

1/3 cup fine yellow cornmeal

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup sour cream

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

For the syrup:

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 medium-sized, ripe peach, peeled and pit removed.

We did not try the syrup but I included it because it sounded yummy. Instead we had some runny peach jam that was just as yummy I am sure. Oh and don't forget the whipped cream on top!

Directions:

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and Salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, sour cream, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla, and beat until well blended. Note: If you want to make the recipe a little healthier, you can substitute applesauce for some or all of the sour cream. (we used sour cream)

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir together just until they are combined. Be careful not to over mix the batter, because it will result in chewy, dense pancakes with no spring or fluff to them.

Heat your waffle iron to medium and lightly butter it. Make sure you wait until it is fully heated so that you do not have to wait too long for your first waffle to cook and then burn your second waffle. Patience pays off here.

 Once the iron is ready, scoop the batter on and cook until the waffles are golden brown. Serve with sliced peaches and peach maple syrup. Note: You can also just make pancakes with this batter. Just make the recipe according to the directions and cook the batter on a skillet or frying pan instead.

To make the syrup, puree the pealed peach - either using a blender or a food processor - until it is completely smooth.

Meanwhile, combine the maple syrup, brown sugar and butter in a sauce pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the butter melts, the sugar dissolves and the resulting liquid comes to a boil. Boil for two minutes, then stir in the heavy cream and bring the mixture to a boil again.

Remove from the heat, stir in the peach puree and let sit for five minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to blend and the syrup to thicken. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Note: The best way to freeze these waffles is to lay them in a single row on a baking sheet and place in freezer for 1-2 hours until the waffles are totally frozen. Then you can just gather up all the waffles and put them in a Ziploc bag together, and store it in the freezer for up to three months. You can reheat then in the toaster, microwave or on a baking sheet in the oven at 400 degrees.

-Jennelle Clark rights a food column in the Utah State University's Statesman and also runs an online food blog foodislikeart.blogspot.com. Check out her post of this recipe here.