Cooking folks?

[thistlechaser]

Shouldn't cornbread have sugar in it? Every time I have it, it's nice and sweet. I found this recipe to make it in a waffle iron, and was thinking about trying it this weekend:

* 2 cups of cornmeal (wholegrain)
* Scant ½ cup flour
* ½ tsp baking soda
* 2 tsp salt
* 4 tsp baking powder
* 2 cups buttermilk
* 4 eggs, beaten


Then I noticed it has no sugar... Maybe the buttermilk would give it enough flavor to not miss the sweetness? I can't see why making it in a waffle iron would require no sugar, since waffles are sweet...

Comments

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

Goat cheese and bacon waffle sounds amazing!
Would you care to share the recipe? We just got a whole pig from the butcher, and have a freezer full of bacon and such.

[shannonrita.livejournal.com]

Sure! I make polenta waffles with goat cheese, and it's always really good. I can't remember where I got the original recipe, but here's my spin on it.

1 1/2 - 2 cups of water
1/3 cup polenta
4 tbsp butter (not margarine please)
2 eggs
1/3 - 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 - 6 slices of thick cut bacon
4 - 6 oz goat cheese (your favorite brand)
pinch of salt (I use kosher)

Start off with 1 1/2 cups of water in a sauce pan, add the salt and bring it to a boil. Add in the polenta slowly, like if you were pouring olive oil into a dressing. A steady stream. Keep whisking it while doing that so you don't get any lumps or burn your polenta. When the polenta's in, let it cook for a few more minutes. If it's too dry, add the additional 1/2 cup of water. You want it thick but you want it to be spoonable. Almost the consistency of slightly wet mashed potatoes. It's gonna take about 15 - 20 minutes to cook.

Pour the cooked polenta into a large mixing bowl and add the butter. Mix it so the butter melts, then it it stand to cool a little bit. Roughly five minutes or so.

While the polenta cools, take your bacon and cut it crosswise into little strips. Saute that off until it's crispy. When it's done, set it on a paper towel to drain.

Get your waffle iron ready. You can use spray on the iron itself, but I take a little olive oil on a paper towl and rub the grid down.

Back to the cooled polenta - Add in the eggs one at a time and mix in completely. Sift together the baking powder and 1/2 cup of the flour in a small bowl (to make sure they mix well) and then gently stir into the polenta. If the polenta is too wet (runnier than waffle batter should be), add in more flour 1 tablespoon at a time.

Take the bacon and add it into the mixture, folding gently to incorporate the tasty bits into the batter. Then, crumble the goat cheese into the batter and fold in gently. You want the goat's cheese through the batter, but you don't want it vanishing. You sorta want little nuggets of nomminess.

Ladel the prepared batter onto your prepared waffle iron and follow your instincts. The waffles will be golden brown, and you'll get little almost-burnt bits where the corn was right against the iron. The goat cheese will melt, and these won't be as crispy as regular waffles, but they're really good.

Serve with a green salad on the side with a simple olive oil and vinegar dressing.

If you want, add pepper to the batter. Or you can even use herbed goat cheese.

[ani-mama.livejournal.com]

That sounds delicious, thank you!