Waffles with “Zesty” Strawberry Sauce

15th June, 2009 - Posted by Emily - Comments

I’m not sure what the deal was Saturday morning when I really wanted waffles, but my waffle iron did not want to cooperate! I’ve never had issues before, but this time they either kept cooking too quickly, even when I turned the heat down, or they kept getting stuck to the iron. After getting seriously cranky, I finally got a few good ones out of the batch. Since there’s only two of us at home, usually there are extra waffles since we each eat only one or two. I’ve found that if you cool the leftover waffles completely in a single layer, then stack and put in a freezer bag, they keep well in the freezer. Don’t stack them while cooling or they’ll get mushy. Then you can pop them in the toaster to warm them whenever you feel like having a waffle! In my opinion, it’s a healthier version of an Eggo. And waffles are so easy to make from scratch. Don’t bother with the boxed mixes!

As promised, my next few posts will probably be about strawberries. I went to the Minneapolis Farmers Market on Friday and picked up some strawberries. I knew they’d make a great topping for my waffles. Here’s an Emily-original recipe for strawberry sauce, which has been deemed “Zesty Strawberry Sauce” by John. The “zesty” part comes from the added lemon zest.

waffles

Waffles
From Betty Crocker’s Cookbook, makes about 8 waffles

2 eggs
2 cups flour (all-purpose or whole wheat, I used all-purpose)
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat waffle iron. Beat the eggs in a large bowl until fluffy, then add in the remaining ingredients and beat just until smooth. Pour about 1/2 cup batter onto your waffle iron (you may need to adjust, depending on the size of your waffle iron). Close lid and bake until light golden brown. Repeat until you’ve made all your waffles.

Zesty Strawberry Sauce

1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced into quarters
3 tablespoons of sugar (you may need more or less, depending on how sweet your strawberries are)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
Juice of one lemon
Zest of 1/2 lemon

Put all ingredients into a medium saucepan and stir. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until thickened. Top the waffles with the strawberry sauce and then with whipped cream (if desired). Enjoy!


Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

15th June, 2009 - Posted by Emily - Comments

Consider yourself warned – the next few posts just might be recipes all about strawberries! I am currently obsessed with strawberries and I’m dying for them to be ready at our local apple orchard where you can pick your own. For now I have to settle for the ones from the grocery store. Last Friday, John and I went over to my cousin Roxanne and her husband Dan’s house and I volunteered to bring dessert. Dan loves dessert. I thought these cupcakes would be the perfect thing to bring. They turned out really well! We thought the frosting tasted a lot like strawberry ice cream.

I added some chopped strawberries to the frosting, which changed the texture of the frosting. If you do add chopped strawberries, make sure you dry them well and you will probably need to add extra powdered sugar to stiffen up the frosting. As you will see, my frosting looks more runny than the picture with the original recipe. It still tasted great though.

strawberry-cupcake1

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes
From Food & Wine Magazine

Cupcakes
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk

Frosting
6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons milk or cream
Strawberry jam (I used Smuckers Strawberry Spreadable Fruit)

Directions
Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper or foil muffin cups. Mix together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt and set aside. In another bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla with an electric beater until thick and smooth (about 3 minutes). Add the butter and oil and mix well. Slowly add the milk and dry ingredients. Fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full with the batter.

Bake for 20-23 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool slightly then transfer to rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting: Beat softened butter with electric mixer until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat until smooth then add the milk or cream and beat until fluffy. Mix in the strawberry jam (I used about 3 tablespoons but add as much or little as you like). Optional: finely chop a few strawberries and mix in! Or you could slice and add on top!