Scribbles & Munch

      Welcome to my 100th blog post!  *confetti*
      What with 2015 being the Year of the Breakfast in my own inner world, I promised something delicious, and deliciousness there shall be. I'm a big fan of nearly all things breakfast (nearly--I still shudder and retch at the idea of eating "Cream of Wheat"), but when it comes to celebrating the first meal of the day, one delight stands out above all others: waffles.
      There are so many good waffles in the world. There are yeasted waffles (my friend Flutterby makes some spankin' fabulous ones), buttermilk waffles (gotta go with Alton Brown on that one), sour cream waffles (the Gladstone family specialty, so light they'll float right off your fork), and even chocolate waffles (if it doesn't call for both cocoa powder and chocolate chips, it's not worth making). Then you get into your savory versions, made with cheese, or bits of bacon, or all of the above. The chicken-and-waffle combo is particularly prized--I have only tried these once, and it was a little disappointing, but I am very open to a corrective experience. Of the many gifts that come to us from the Belgium-Austria-Germany corner of the globe, waffles may be the most beloved. They certainly are in my house.
      And yet...I do not own a waffle iron. Yet. The reason is simple: limited space and limited budget. I could probably get one, but I'll be moving in about a year's time and I'm already trying to downsize--a heavy kitchen uni-tasker doesn't sound appealing until I'm relocated and unpacked. So how do I make waffles? As luck would have it, I have some very lovely Jewish friends who were ready to lock their waffle iron in the basement during Passover. Being helpful by nature, I offered to hold on to it for them! (I'm so nice.) That means I've been making waffles like crazy this last week, and freezing them for future use. Some waffles freeze better than others. Toasters really are the best way to reheat them.
      I will have to return the waffle iron soon, so I decided to finish Waffle Fest Spring 2015 with something awesome. I drew on all my intensive waffle experience and baking know-how and composed this extra-spectacular recipe just for my 100th blog post:

Toasted Coconut and Sweet Potato Waffles!

     You like? I like! They're a little fussier than regular waffles, but for the fabulous flavor combo, they are sooooo worth it!* Just bake the sweet potato a day or two in advance, and then time your waffle prep intelligently. A couple ingredient notes: you can use either regular sweet potatoes or garnet yams in this recipe, depending on your preference. I like the regular, with their cream-colored interior, but the yams pack a little more flavor. Also, be SURE that you're using unsweetened shredded coconut (what they call "desiccated coconut" in Australia), and not sweetened flaked coconut. Bob's Red Mill offers a good one, and you can buy it in bulk at Wholefoods and many other grocers with a good bulk foods section.

Z.D.'s Toasted Coconut and Sweet Potato Waffles

Ingredients:
1 Cup  dried unsweetened shredded coconut
1 egg, separated
2 additional egg whites
1/4 Cup coconut oil, melted, plus extra for greasing the waffle iron
1 medium sweet potato, cooked, peel discarded, slightly warm
1 Cup whole milk, room temp
1 Cup flour
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp baking powder

Directions:
 - Pre-heat your oven to 400º F. Spread the coconut in a thin layer on a metal baking sheet, and place in the oven to toast, stirring at least once, about 8 minutes.

If they some out looking like toasted panko, you've done perfectly!

 - Meanwhile, beat all three egg whites to stiff peaks, and set aside.

Stiff peaks means that the whites hold their shape firmly. Note how when you remove the beaters, the little peaks they leave behind do not bend over, but stand upright like a Hershey's Kiss.

 - Mash the coconut oil, sweet potato, and egg yolk together in a small bowl. When thoroughly combined, add the milk, and mix together until blended.

When you mash the oil, potato, and yolk together, you want the potato slightly warm so that the cool yolk doesn't congeal the coconut oil, and the hot oil doesn't cook the egg yolk. If your sweet potato is just warm to the touch, that will balance out all the temperatures just right!

When you add the milk, you should have somewhere between 13 and 16 oz of wet ingredients, by volume. Less than that and your batter will be too thick--add more milk. More than that and they'll be too runny--just leave some liquid out.

 - In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining dry ingredients and about 2/3rds of the toasted coconut (keep the rest for sprinkling on top of your waffles). Stir in the wet ingredients until just combined.

When you first add the wet ingredients, this should be thick and dry, almost like a biscuit dough.

 - Preheat your waffle iron and grease with coconut oil. Just before cooking, fold the egg whites into batter, until barely incorporated.

Then when you fold in the egg whites, it will come together as a wet, airy batter--perfect for waffles!

    Cook according to your waffle iron's directions, and keep warm in a low heat oven directly on a rack (the undersides will get soggy on a plate). Your finished waffles will be golden brown and fragrant. Top as desired! I liked using the stout caramel sauce from last week and some of the extra toasted coconut (as you saw at the beginning of this post). My husband went with traditional butter and maple syrup, and declared it marvelous. Next time I intend to use sliced bananas and whipped coconut cream for tropical brunch bliss!

Depending on how you define a waffle, this recipe makes either two or eight. It makes two large waffles that divide into four smaller squares, as you see above. So you can have either two big servings, three moderate servings, or four smart servings from a single batch.

*And both sweet potatoes and coconut are health fads right now! Look how healthy you are by eating these!