I have industrial wire shelves in my kitchen to hold the things my cabinets can’t – large canisters of flour and sugar, a classic diner covered cake stand, stacks of folded cloth napkins, a 70’s harvest gold stand mixer from Sears gifted to me by my father-in-law, and tin boxes crammed with my collection of cookie cutters and cupcake papers. I did a little rearranging this week to designate a place of honor for my waffle iron, my theory being if it’s out in the open, we’ll have waffles for breakfast more often. On Sunday, I made buttermilk waffles with a rhubarb compote – they were so good! It’s given me incentive for future experimentation with different kinds of waffles – whole wheat, pumpkin, blueberry, savory waffles with herbs and cheese – waffles for dinner – this could get interesting…
Rhubarb Compote:
- 1 pound of rhubarb, sliced thin – about 2 cups
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind (optional)
1. Place rhubarb, sugar, water, and orange rind in a saucepan, and cook over medium high heat, stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook for an additional ten minutes, stirring ocassionally until it thickens and the rhubarb begins to soften.
2. Remove from heat, spoon into a bowl and let it cool to room temperature. Refrigerate. Makes about 1 1/2 cups of compote.
Buttermilk Waffles:
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups low-fat buttermilk
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 large eggs
- vegetable or canola oil for waffle iron
1. Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk buttermilk, butter, and eggs together. Add the flour mixture to the buttermilk and mix until combined. Don’t over mix it, if there are a few lumps in the batter, it’s fine!
3. Heat up your waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s directions, brush both surfaces with oil. Pour batter on the iron (again – consult your manual as to the amount, as waffle irons vary in size), close lid and cook until the waffles are golden brown and crisp.
4. You can keep the waffles warm by setting a rack on top of a baking pan in a 250º oven while you’re preparing the rest of the waffles. Leftovers can be frozen or refrigerated and reheated in the toaster.
