Banana Waffles with Buttermilk Syrup

After all that holiday baking, it seems like the January Improv challenge came around way too soon. The ingredients for January were bananas and nutmeg, and the first thing those flavors brought to mind was breakfast. Pancakes are a breakfast staple around here, but for Boy Mimi's last day of winter break from school, something a little more special was in order. Light and crispy waffles, with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, sliced bananas, and a drizzle of home buttermilk syrup, were just the thing. 

The waffles were good, but the real star of breakfast was the buttermilk syrup. It was sweet but not too sugary, and had a nice mild flavor, with hints of vanilla. It was a nice change from the usual maple syrup found on the breakfast table. This syrup is definitely worth making for a special breakfast, and makes an everyday breakfast seem special. 

Banana waffles
Adapted from Sunset magazine January 2005

1 cup flour
1 tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup milk
1 ripe banana mashed
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter, melted

In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients.  In another bowl mix together egg yolks, milk, banana, sour cream and butter until well blended. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture until just combined.
In a separate bowl beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Gently fold them into the batter until no white streaks remain.
Bake in a Belgian waffle iron until well brown about 6 to 9 minutes. Keep warm on a baking sheet in 200 degree oven for up to 15 minutes. Serve with slightly sweetened whipped cream and warm buttermilk syrup.
Serves 4-6


Buttermilk Syrup

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon Light Karo Syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt


In a deep pot combine the butter, sugar, buttermilk, salt and Karo syrup and bring to a boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the baking soda and vanilla and stir till combined. *The baking soda will cause the mixture to foam to twice its volume, so be sure to use a big enough pot* The color of the syrup will turn to a golden brown. Remove from the heat and continue to stir until the syrup thickens. Let it cool and serve immediately, or store in the fridge in an air tight container. It will thicken as it cools, but you can warm it up in the microwave to thin it out.

printable recipe

Granola

Whether you eat your granola plain by the handful, douse it with milk, or spoon it into yogurt, good granola can be difficult to come by. Luckily, good granola, with its slightly sweet crunchy clusters and any kind of nuts and fruits you like, is surprisingly easy to make. It takes a matter of minutes to get this into the oven, and in as much time as it would take to get to the store and back, you can have fresh, crunchy granola customized to your own taste. We love the original recipe (below) but also like to throw in some dried cranberries and pecans, and maybe a handful of mini chocolate chips if it's a chocolate kind of day.

Almond Granola with Dried Fruit
adapted  from Cooks Illustrated March/April 2012

1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups slivered almonds, coarse chopped
2 cup dried fruit, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or spray with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together maple syrup, brown sugar, salt, vegetable oil and vanilla. Fold in oats and almonds until thoroughly coated.
3. Transfer oats mixture to prepared pan and spread across the sheet into a thin even layer. Using a stiff metal spatula, compress oat mixture until very compact. Bake until lightly browned, 40 to 45 minutes.

When it is cool, break into large chunks or small clusters, gently stir in dried fruit and store in an airtight container.

link:Foodie Friday

Baked Oatmeal

Fall comes to subtly to Southern California. Summer lingers as long as possible, however, come September, our days are warm but the mornings and evenings have a nice chill to the air. While we enjoyed quick bowls of cereal and ice cold smoothies for breakfast during the summer, it is time to shift to warm, hearty fall breakfasts.

This baked oatmeal is a perfect breakfast for the upcoming autumn mornings. Hearty oats, fruit, and nuts combine to make a tasty and pretty healthy start to your day. We like to sprinkle brown sugar on our oatmeal, so we topped ours with a brown sugar streusel before baking so you don't need to add anything but some milk or cream if you like. The leftovers do reheat well for an easy breakfast you can make once and eat all week although we definitely liked the leftovers much better with that drizzle of milk or cream.
   

Of course, once we hit on a good basic recipe, we start planning all the variations we would like to try. Apples and cinnamon came to mind for an "apple pie" oatmeal, perfect since it's almost apple season. We all like peanut butter on our oats and will definitely try swirling in some peanut butter before baking one morning. Although summer is just about over, a version full of fresh peaches and berries would be delicious, and Boy Mimi (one of the coconut lovers) suggested some toasted coconut, chopped fresh mango and a dollop of vanilla yogurt on top for a tropical version. The choices are endless, and this easy breakfast will be making many appearances on our table year round.

Baked Oatmeal

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped and lightly toasted

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup maple syrup, plus more for serving

1 cup milk

1 large egg

1 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 ripe bananas, sliced into 1/2-inch thick pieces

¾ to 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

**you can use any combination of fruits that you like, just put some on bottom and some on the top to distribute evenly**

Streusel Topping

1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter, cold, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup flour
generous ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
pinch salt

 

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl or food processor until it is the texture of coasre meal. Store in the refrigerator so the butter stays cold.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make streusel and put in refrigerator.

2. Grease or spray a 1 and 1/2-quart casserole dish with either butter or cooking spray.

3. In a medium bowl, toss together the oats, half of the nuts, the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

4. In a separate small bowl, mix together the maple syrup, milk, egg, melted butter, and the vanilla.

5. Place the sliced banana pieces in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared casserole dish.

6. Sprinkle about two-thirds of the blueberries over the top of the bananas, then cover the blueberries with the oat mixture.

7. Drizzle the milk mixture over the oats, making sure to distribute the milk as evenly as possible.

8.  Sprinkle the remaining blueberries over the top of the oats followed by the streusel topping.

9.  Bake the oatmeal for 35-40  min, until the top is golden brown and the oats are almost set, but slightly soft in the center. They will continue to firm up as they cool, and still be creamy. 

Printable recipe

 
Links:
This Chick Cooks
Foodie Friday  at Designs by Gollum