CORNY WAFFLE VALENTINES

WHAT YOU'LL NEED: 

Waffle iron

Corn Meal                                                           Buttermilk or non-dairy milk & cider vinegar

Brown Rice Flour  or All Purpose Flour             Maple syrup

Baking Powder                                                    2 eggs

Baking Soda                                                        Butter or margarine (I use Earth Balance)

Salt                                                                       Lemon juice
Filling of choice: lemon whipped cream, berries, sorbet

2 mixing bowls.  Big one for dry ingredients, small one for the wet.

Measure out a cup of corn meal, a cup of flour (either Brown Rice Flour for gluten-free or All Purpose Flour otherwise), 2 t. baking powder, 1/2 t. baking soda and 1/2 t. salt. 

Whisk together thoroughly.  Now for the wet ingredients...so I get my small bowl...

and add 2 cups of buttermilk or 2 cups of a non dairy substitute and 2 t. cider vinegar if you're making them non-dairy.

!/4 cup maple syrup for the sweetener.

Now for separating eggs.  If it's a get-out-the-door-in-5-minutes kinda morning, then I skip this step and just crack two eggs into the wet ingredients.  But it's a special occasion and I want to really go all out, so I'm separating the egg yolks from the whites.  This egg separator makes it really easy.  The most important thing about separating egg is not to get any yolk into the whites or the whites won't stiffen into peaks.  

Add the yolks and 6 tablespoons of butter to the wet ingredients and whisk it real good.

Time to beat the egg whites.  Why do we do this?  Well for the extra air it gives us with using so much cornmeal and especially if using Brown Rice flour as well.  Since gluten-free flours don't rise like AP flour, remember corn meal is also a gluten-free grain, then aerating the egg whites is another method of leavening.  

The egg whites will start like this, then end up like...

this.  Stiff peaks, but not dried out.

We're gettin' close so this is where I fire up the waffle iron.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and give it a quick whisk...don't over mix.  

Fold in the egg whites.  Make sure not to work them over too much, we want to keep that fluffiness.  

A tablespoon or two of lemon juice.  Gently mix in.

Scoop enough batter so it comes to within a quarter of an inch of the edge on the first or second setting. one: for more soft, two: for more crunching.  This batter browns quickly on anything past two.  While it cooks I  think about fillings for the boys' waffle sandwiches...today whipped cream and strawberries and raspberry sorbet...  

Waffles are done!  Now for a woman's touch, because my house needs it.

  

First I cut them into quarters, then take out the little top center bit to make hearts.

Then with sliced strawberries and...

fresh whipped cream I layer whipped cream first (so the berries will stick) then the berries, whipped cream berries.  This morning I whipped a cup of heavy cream adding about three spoonfuls of sugar and a couple teaspoons of lemon juice before before whipping.   Orange juice would be fun to try instead of the lemon since orange goes so well with strawberry.  Ah, next time.

And for those who want a dairy-free option, add a scoop of your favorite berry sorbet for ice cream sandwiches!  It makes breakfast so special for the kids...

and mom and dad, too!

CORNY WAFFLE VALENTINES

(gluten-free option)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup     cornmeal

1 cup     brown rice or all purpose flour

2 t.         baking powder

1/2 t.      baking soda

1/2 t.       salt

2 c.        buttermilk or non-dairy milk with 2 t. cider vinegar

1/4 c.      maple syrup

6 T.        butter or margarine, melted

2             eggs, separated

1 T.        lemon juice

METHOD

1.  Measure out dry ingredients into a big mixing bowl.  Thoroughly whisk together and set aside.

2.  Separate egg yolks from whites.  Whip whites just until stiff peaks form.

3.  Preheat waffle iron on first or second setting.  Melt butter.

4.  Measure out buttermilk, syrup, butter and lemon juice.  Whisk together.  Whisk in egg yolks.  Then pour wet ingredients over dry and mix just until dry ingredients have all been incorporated.  Do not over mix.

5.  Fold in egg whites until just combined.

6.  Spoon enough batter onto the waffle iron to cover 3/4 of the iron.  Cook according to waffle iron's instructions.

7.  Split waffles into fourths and cut out a bit of the top center to form a heart.  Fill with sorbet or whipped cream and berries.

:QUEST FOR GOOD, EASY GLUTEN-FREE PIZZA DOUGH

My mission is to find a good gluten-free pizza dough that is good and doesn't have 4 million ingredients.  I conducted the first experiment this week.  Results are as follows: this first gluten-free pizza dough recipe had great flavor, some good sponge, but it dried the mouth.  Not bad for a first try.  But it's not there yet.  That would be too easy.  The ingredients were:

 INGREDIENTS:

Yeast Mixture:  

1 c. water, warmed

1 T. honey

1/2 T. cider vinegar

2 c. brown rice flour

1/4 c. garbanzo / fava flour

1 T.   potato flour

1 T.   Tapioca flour

I let it rise for 30 minutes, patted the dough out on a pre-heated pizza stone (sprinkled with cornmeal), lightly floured the dough slab and gently rolled it out the rest of the way.  I added toppings and baked.  the pizza was ready in 9 minutes.  The experiments continue for a simple, yummy, not-mouth-drying  gluten-free pizza dough.  It is time to investigate other cultures cuisines for flat bread made form gluten-free flours--polenta comes to mind.  The quest continues...

BANANA BREAD

You can make one of these if you have...

Two of these.  A fun afternoon surprise when the boys  get home from school.

TO GET STARTED:

Turn on the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease (rub the insides of your pan with shortening) an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan or walk on the wild side...use a bundt pan!

NOW FOR THE DRY INGREDIENTS:

In a medium-sized bowl, add 1 cup of brown rice flour and...

1/6 c. potato flour (I fill a 1/3 cup half way)...

and then a 1/6 cup of tapioca flour (i top off the potato flour in the 1/3 cup with tapioca flour).

Add 1 tablespoon flax seed meal.  It adds a nutty flavor, omega fatty acids (excellent for optimal brain function) and flax see meal lends moistness much like adding vegetable oil.  

1 teaspoon of baking soda and...

1 teaspoon of baking powder.  

Whisk it all together and set aside for later.

Cream together 5 1/3 tablespoon of butter and 2/3 cup of sugar until...

it looks like this. 

Mix in the dry ingredients, gradually.  It will look like this when all's said and done.

Add two eggs lightly beaten, 1/4 cup of milk and 1 teaspoon of cider vinegar.

Beat it until it looks like this.

Peel the bananas and...

 

SQUISH them up!

With your hands...I've always loved to get my hands dirty.

It's better than stress balls.

Voila!  Mashed bananas.  

Dump the mashed bananas into the bread mixture.  Now we have to fold the bananas into the mixture.  This is a different technique than stirring.  Watch:

FOLDING IN:

With a rubber spatula, cut a line through the dough...  

curve to the left and around the left side of the bowl...

When you arrive at the top of the bowl, use the spatula to fold the batter under itself, then, with your left hand (unless of course, you are left handed in which case you would have the spatula in the left hand, bowl in right) rotate the bowl a quarter turn.  Are we all thoroughly confused now?  I know I am.  Experiment with the technique.

Keep folding until the banana mush is fully incorporated into the mixture.

 Help the batter into your pan with the spatula and bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 32 minutes.

 A toothpick or skewer inserted will come out clean with maybe a couple of crumb cling-ons.

 Unmold carefully and dust with powdered sugar.  I think next time I would serve this with some cream cheese whipped with just enough sugar to give it the right amount of sweet. 

RECIPE: GLUTEN-FREE BANANA BREAD
makes 1 loaf or bundt

• 2            ripe banana, mashed
• 1 c.         brown rice flour
• 1/3 c.     split by 1/2 potato flour and 1/2 tapioca flour
• 1 T.        flax seed meal
• 1 t.         baking soda
• 1 t.         baking powder    
• 5 1/3 T. butter
• 2/3 c.     sugar
• 2             eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 c.     milk
• 1 t.         cider vinegar

METHOD:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Generously grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan or 6 cup pan.
2. Whisk together dry ingredients.  Set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.
4. Gradually mix in dry ingredients to sugar-butter mixture.
5. Mix in the lightly beaten egg, milk and vinegar.
6. Fold in mashed bananas.
7. Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 32 minutes.