Mom loves waffles, but she’s crazy about French toast, too. Either one would be perfect as the star at a special breakfast or brunch this Sunday, but which one?
Decisions, decisions …
Well, what if you could serve that one-in-a-million mother a nifty-swifty combination of the two?
Come on, French toast waffles? Who’s kidding whom here? Nobody, nobody at all, especially not me.
Best yet, all you need to get the job done is a Belgian waffle iron and the right recipe. “Right” in this case being the following here’s-how created by “Flavors of America” TV host Chef Jim Coleman.
Oh, but wait. What if your mom loves muffins best of all? Obviously, then, that calls for a batch of lemony blueberry muffins — just the breakfast or brunch brightener you need to round out your Mother’s Day menu. Tasty but heart healthy besides, this recipe appears in WomenHeart’s “All Heart Family Cookbook.”
Coleman’s easy French toast waffles
5large eggs
1cup milk
1/2teaspoon each vanilla and almond extracts
2teaspoons baking powder
1tablespoon sugar
1/2teaspoon kosher salt
8slices day-old Challah bread, cut 1-inch thick (see note)
Warm syrup and/or powdered sugar or other favorite topping
In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, extracts, baking powder, sugar and salt. Transfer mixture to a 9-by-12-inch shallow baking pan. Cut each bread slice into 4 equally sized squares (32 pieces in all). Place bread slices in egg mixture, turning once, until well soaked.
Preheat your Belgian waffle iron according to manufacturer’s directions. (If you have a Chef’sChoice WafflePro Model 830B-SE Belgian waffle iron, preheat on the Crispy Exterior/Moist Interior setting at color control 4.) Place 4 pieces of soaked bread (equals 1 slice) in waffle iron, one in each grid, leaving a 1-inch space in the middle and cook until the waffles are done according to manufacturer’s directions or the ready buzzer sounds. Serve with warm syrup and/or powdered sugar or other favorite topping.
Makes 8 waffles.
Note: If Challah is unavailable, day-old egg bread, sliced 1-inch thick, should be a good substitute.
Lemon-blueberry muffins
1 1/4 cups flour
1cup old-fashioned rolled or quick-cooking oats
1/2cup brown sugar
2tablespoons wheat bran or ground flaxseed
1/2teaspoon baking soda
1/4teaspoon salt
11/2 cups low-fat lemon yogurt
3tablespoons light olive oil
1egg
1teaspoon grated lemon peel (optional)
1cup fresh or frozen blueberries
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray or fill with paper muffin liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, bran or flaxseed, baking soda and salt. Make a well in the center and add yogurt, oil, egg and lemon peel, if using. Stir just until blended. Stir in the blueberries. Evenly divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake for 18 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the centers comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove to a rack and cool completely.
Makes 12.
The next Forum will appear in Friday’s Time Out section.
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