Old Fashion Buttermilk Waffles →

This old fashion country waffle recipe comes from the Allen family of Dinwiddie County, Virginia and was passed to my wife’s mother, Jean Fitzpatrick Andrews by her sister-in-law Nancye Allen Fitzpatrick. The original recipe is not a Belgium waffle, but rather thinner, light, fluffy, and chewy. If all you have is a modern Belgium waffle maker, don’t worry, you will still end up with great waffles. Top with butter and maple syrup or honey, or the syrup of your choice with a side of “no guilt” bacon. Be warned, they are so deliciously light and fluffy you’ll be amazed at how many you can eat.

Makes about 24 5 inch square waffles.
Preheat the waffle iron.
Ingredients:

Sift together:

• 2 ½ cups flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

In a separate bowl mix together:

• 4 eggs

• 2 cups buttermilk

• 4-6 tablespoons canola oil

Preparation:

1. Slowly stir the flour mixture into the liquids.

2. Spoon the batter onto your waffle iron and cover until golden brown.

3. Serve immediately with butter and your choice of syrup.

Extra waffles can be cooled and frozen for several weeks. Reheat in the toaster oven.

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes →

Here in New England, blueberry pancakes with butter and real maple syrup are a tradition. Every year my wife, Nancye, goes to a local farm and picks a few pounds of blueberries. When she comes home, she spreads the berries on sheet pans and freezes the berries. Stored in ziplock plastic bags, the berries keep through the winter retaining their fresh tangy sweetness allowing us to enjoy blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and bacon, or Blueberry Muffins, blueberry pie, blueberry sauce, etc, to cheer us up during the cold winter months. If you can’t pick your own berries, most supermarkets have fresh-frozen Maine blueberries in the freezer section of the store which are superior in taste and more economical compared to the pints of “fresh” blueberries they sell in the winter.

Yield: 6-8 pancakes about ½ inch thick
Ingredients:

• 1 cup sifted flour

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• 1- 1½ cups blueberries

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 2 tablespoons melted butter

• 1 egg slightly beaten

Preparation:

1. Sift in the flour, salt and soda and mix lightly; mix in blueberries.

2. Melt the butter; whisk the egg.

3. Add the melted butter to the egg and whisk together; whisk in the buttermilk.

4. Slowly add liquid mixture to flour and berries; mixing lightly

   (For lighter, fluffier pancakes, mix until the ingredients are just well combined; don’t over mix.)

5. Use about 1/3 cup of batter for each pancake.

6. Cook on a lightly oiled hot skillet over medium high heat, until golden brown turning once. The rule of thumb is: once the batter bubbles on the surface, it’s time to turn the pancake. (see *Note)

*Note: To check if your griddle is hot enough, drop a small spoon-full of batter on the griddle. Once it bubbles and is brown on the griddle-side, your griddle is hot.

*Note: If you are using frozen blueberries, once the griddle is hot turn the heat to medium-low heat to give the batter more time to cook before turning. This avoids burnt, undercooked pancakes.

Adapted from: “New York times Cookbook” by Craig Claiborne, Harper & Row, 1961.

Blueberry Muffins →

YIELD: 6-12 muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 1⁄2 cups flour

• 1 ½ tsp. baking powder

• ½ teaspoon baking soda

• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 3⁄4 cup sugar

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 4 ounces (browned) butter or 1⁄2 cup canola-butter

• 1 ½ cups blueberries

• 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (optional)

• cinnamon sugar (optional)

What could be better than the smell of fresh baked bread or muffins? I love blueberry muffins with coffee for my morning jump start. For this recipe, I add cinnamon and nutmeg, and lemon zest, flavors that compliment the blueberries. I also lightly brown the butter to add extra richness and flavor to the muffins.

Preparation:

1. Sift the first five dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

2. In another bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until creamy, whisk in the buttermilk and butter that has been melted until just beginning to turn brown.

3. Add blueberries and lemon zest to dry ingredients and mix gently to coat berries with flour

4. Make a well in dry ingredients and pour in liquid ingredients, mixing quickly. Don’t over-mix, or the muffins will be tough.

5. Spoon batter into a greased muffin pan or line the muffin pan cups with paper muffin cups, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and bake till golden brown.

6. Bake at 400 F for 20-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the muffin comes out clean with no batter sticking to the pick.

   *Note: If you use frozen blueberries, the cooking time will be longer than 20 minutes.