Beatríz writes:
I loved your post on the awful chicken and waffles. You mentioned how waffles have returned to your life since Mrs. Bootleg went on an overseas business trip. Wasn't that the same time period in which you invented "bourbon waffles"? I'm certain you tweeted about this, but did I miss the TBG post? I can't find it, if you did.
Also: while it probably doesn't qualify for your "breakfast entree syrupy trinity", you should consider a new category for crepes if you're not already a fan. They kick french toast's ass.
Y'know...I think I've had crepes, like, once. Not too long ago, there was a very brief "crepes craze" here in Southern California that saw several pretentious cafés open and close in less than a calendar year. I presume most of those places became $5.00 cupcake cafés. I'll make an effort to give crepes another try -- especially if they're served urban-style.
And, I can't claim credit for the bourbon waffles. That delicious creation came courtesy of a dear family friend, who made the following waffle-related suggestion on my Facebook page:
I recommend you make half the batch [of waffle batter] with a fistful of chocolate chips for J and then thin the rest of the batter out with a shot or two of Kentucky Bourbon for yours and have breakfast for dinner while the wife's away the right way!
What? Well, what do YOU use Facebook for?!
She just so happens to be the brains behind this kick-ass baking endeavor so her words carry weight. After my son Jalen annihilated two chocolate chip waffles and half a package of breakfast sausage, I filled a shot glass with Maker's Mark and added it to the remaining batter. I then stirred in some chopped cooked bacon (three strips, if I remember correctly) and let the goodness hit the griddle.
Bacon-bourbon waffles? "Jalen, get daddy the GOOD plate."
Sweet and salty. Smoky, vanilla-y and bourbon-y. The finished product was soo-POIB. ProTip #1: Do yourself a favor and spend the 10 minutes it takes to make a batch of waffle batter from scratch. ProTip #2: Don't use pre-cooked bacon. I mean you could ignore either rule, but the flavors are much more pronounced without the prepackaged batter-powder and pig parts.
I'm not sure crepes can compare to this, Beatríz.
You DO know that the most well known crepe recipe is made with booze, right? I doubt your introduction of bourbon to breakfast is going to merit a mention during Black History Month, Cam.
ReplyDeleteOh, I think it merits my own Black History Month cardboard cutout head shot for elementary school teachers to staple to their corkboards.
ReplyDeleteYou're dead right about the batter-powder. I started making pancakes from scratch when I lived in Sydney. They have *very* different - and wrong - ideas about what a pancake is, so if I wanted them, making my own was the only option. What blew my mind was that to make them from scratch takes maybe 3 minutes longer than using a packet, and the difference in quality is... [siiiiigh].
ReplyDeleteBased on your suggestions, my next weekend brekkie endeavour might be wholewheat bourbon-and-bacon pancakes. (And in a dark corner of an insurance law office in one of the scrubbier bits of Boston, tears of joy just leapt to my girlfriend's eyes, and she has no idea why. YET.)
Pancakes weren't exactly a regular meal in Mexico, so I didn't try them for the first time until we moved to the US. I think I was 15 or 16. I *hated* them. Little did I know that non-Bisquick pancakes were possible. SO much better! And then I discovered whole wheat (and a million other kinds) not long after that.
ReplyDeleteAnd I am going to be VERY disappointed in you if that's some kind of bottled, processed syrup like Mrs. Butterworth, Aaron. Spring for the REAL maple syrup! It's not that much more expensive and the taste difference is really noticeable. :)
There is a middle ground. I seem to remember you eating about 5 pounds of the thin Danish (German) pancakes my grandmother made
ReplyDelete@Smitty -- I remember those! A little dusting of powdered sugar on top! (For those who don't know, I sponged countless meals from Smitty's family as teenager. I re-paid him with an open bar at my wedding.)
ReplyDelete@Yvonne -- I'm gonna take the fifth on the syrup question. But, I'm willing to take it under further consideration. :)
@Elena -- Absolutely agree on the difference between packaged v. homemade batter. Regardless, though, Jalen will eat the raw batter by the spoonful. I cannot articulate how much this grosses me out.
Cameron, do you mean you repaid me with the open bar or you repaid me by getting my wife hammered with your open bar
ReplyDelete