291745 Thu Jan 30 12:16:26 -0800 2003 41 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1589344 I'm planning a waffle brunch for mid-February, with about 20 guests. I'd like to make the waffles in advance, maybe the night before. I'd also like to make a few different flavors; blueberry, chocolate, almond, etc. I found a waffle recipe on epicurious that calls for powdered buttermilk, but I would prefer to use real buttermilk, unless it makes no difference at all. If anyone would like to share a recipe, I'd appreciate it. Also, how should I adjust a recipe to account for different mix-ins, like the blueberries? Thu Jan 30 12:16:26 -0800 2003 0 tizzie 1 1589345 This sounds like it could be a potential disaster. That's a good idea you've got, but unfortunately leftover waffles are generally not worth eating. I recommend you test that recipe to see if you like it and it works for you. Go with one batter. Provide chopped pecans and almonds, all sorts of fruit toppings, real maple syrup, and real whipped cream. Tell everyone you invite to bring their waffle iron, if they have one. Line up the waffle irons, fill them, and let people sprinkle them with nuts, if they wish, and top them when finished with whatever they want from your setup. This way you will be able to make enough waffles to feed everybody in a reasonable period of time. Sausage and bacon on a warming tray would be nice, too. Thu Jan 30 12:42:25 -0800 2003 1589344 0 ironmom 2 1589350 I agree with the substance of Ironmom's reply. As to powdered buttermilk, I have used it very successfully in waffles. Pat G. Thu Jan 30 13:14:05 -0800 2003 1589345 0 Pat Goldberg 2 1589353 I would take Ironmom's approach with one batter and freshly-made waffles done on multiple irons. I'd get fancy with lots of self-serve, ready-made toppings - compound butters, fruit compotes and whipped cream, fresh fruit, walnut streusel, whatever. That could make for a really fun, paricipatory party. I was never a big fan of waffles until a recent breakfast at a B&B, where I had the world's best. The secret was obviously an egregious fat content, which gave them a rich, flavorful interior and a crisp, buttery crust. I asked the proprieter what made them special (tons of butter? sour cream? both?). Alas, she wouldn't tell. If anyone knows of a recipe that fits this description, please let me know! Thu Jan 30 13:25:45 -0800 2003 1589345 0 Kathryn Callaghan 3 1589362 There is a very good discussion of waffles and butter content in the "old" Joy of Cooking. Thu Jan 30 14:11:06 -0800 2003 1589353 0 Pat Goldberg 4 1589373 Even the latest JoC has a brief discussion of butter in waffle batter. Goes something like this: 4 tbsp if you want good waffles, 8 tbsp for great waffles, 16 tbsp makes the best. FWIW, we did an unplanned side-by-side tasting over the weekend of regular vs. buttermilk waffles, both using JoC recipes. I had about a pint of buttermilk on hand and made one full recipe of waffle batter, which turned out to be half as much as I needed (hungry kids!) so I made another full recipe using whole milk (the only change other than skipping the baking soda). The buttermilk waffles won by a landslide. Thu Jan 30 15:05:20 -0800 2003 1589362 0 GG Mora 2 1589458 A waffle iron for every plug? Sounds like a recipe for blown fuses! Fri Jan 31 13:34:58 -0800 2003 1589345 0 Sharuf 3 1589459 Not if your kitchen is wired properly. Fri Jan 31 13:49:58 -0800 2003 1589458 0 ironmom 1 1589351 I know that a waffle brunch sounds very appealing, but I can tell you from personal experience not to do this. Really. Just forget the idea. My sister decided to have a waffle brunch and because it's the way of our family, I ended up making them all. You can't make waffles for a crowd if you want to eat at the same time. The problem is that waffles don't keep. I made a bunch, then we "recrisped" them under the broiler, and they were edible. But do yu want "edible" to be the way your guests describe your food? I can think of so many easier, better things to do for a brunch for 20. You can make waffles in advance, freeze them and then heat them up in the toaster. This actually works fairly well (better than the broiler); they aren't nearly as good as when they're freshly made, but they're tasty enough. However, you'll have the whole psychological issue of toaster waffles to deal with, because even though your waffles will be better than Eggo, that's what your guests will be thinking. Plus you'll still have to toast 20 waffles, and even though that takes less time than making them, the first ones will still be cold by the time the last ones are toasted. Now, if your guests don't expect to eat at the same time, and you want to be tied to the waffle iron for the duration of your brunch party, then by all means, go for it. On the other hand, if you want a really great recipe for oven baked french toast with honey and pecans (made the night before and popped in the oven at the party), I can post that. Thu Jan 30 13:14:07 -0800 2003 1589344 0 Janet A. Zimmerman 2 1589366 Post it, post it...please. Thu Jan 30 14:37:00 -0800 2003 1589351 0 Cristina 2 1589396 Don't know about Janet's recipe, but the link below is to an overnight Pecan Blueberry French Toast that I have used on DOZENS of occasions and always had rave results. Link: http://www.epicurious.com/run/recipe/view?id=101755 Thu Jan 30 17:54:02 -0800 2003 1589351 0 Eviter 3 1589401 Also the Joy of Cooking - latest edition - has a great overnight French Toast recipe. This is one of my husband's favorites. So much easier to do the work the night before. D. Thu Jan 30 19:28:42 -0800 2003 1589396 0 Donna - MI 3 1589412 The one I've made is similar - a little richer, perhaps. I've only made it once; if I were going to do it again, I think I'd add cinnamon and use almonds instead of pecans (just because I like them better). The original recipe is from a book called InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook (talk about a good Valentine's Day gift for a food lover...). I changed that recipe, which calls for maple syrup along with the honey in the final step, because I didn't have any. And it called for baguette slices, whereas I used a batard (sweet, not sourdough). Oven Baked French Toast with Honey and Pecans Combine: 4 eggs, beaten 3/4 C half and half 2 teaspoons brown sugar 1 tsp. vanilla Cut 6 1" to 1-1/2" slices from a batard or other loaf of French or Italian bread (good way to use old bread) and place in a single layer in a flat pan. Pour the egg mixture over, cover, and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, melt 1/4 cup (half a stick) of butter, and stir in: 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup chopped pecans (this is where I'd add a little cinnamon) Pour about 2/3 of this into a 9x13 baking pan. Add the egg-soaked bread slices and top with the remaining butter and honey mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about a half hour, or until puffed and golden brown. The recipe suggested serving the french toast with additional honey butter, but that seemed like overkill to me. It was plenty rich and sweet without it. Thu Jan 30 21:07:16 -0800 2003 1589396 0 Janet A. Zimmerman 4 1589437 Thanks so much for taking the time to post this, Janet...I think I'd do it with almonds, too. Fri Jan 31 09:04:06 -0800 2003 1589412 0 Cristina 1 1589360 Maybe this isn't a revelation to anyone else, but once I discovered waffles with the egg whites whipped separately and folded back into the batter, I never went back. Thu Jan 30 14:00:54 -0800 2003 1589344 0 danna 2 1589363 Absolutely. I've also found that to increase the melted butter and the sugar by 1 tablespoon per cup usually improves recipes. Nowadays, so many of them are slimmed down, which degrades the finished product. Thu Jan 30 14:16:05 -0800 2003 1589360 0 ironmom 3 1589375 Yeast-raised waffles are even better; you make the batter the night before. Thu Jan 30 15:18:38 -0800 2003 1589363 0 Karl S. 4 1589410 I did yeast-raised waffles for the first time a month ago. It was the quickest and easiest waffle batter I've ever made (5 minutes the night before, 3 or so in the morning, no beating egg whites) and they were lighter than ones made with egg whites folded in. I used Marion Cunningham's recipe. Thu Jan 30 20:57:27 -0800 2003 1589375 0 Caitlin McGrath 3 1589378 Interesting, there is no melted butter or sugar in my waffles. I guess we're hitting them with enough butter and maple syrup after baking that they are rich enough! Thu Jan 30 15:41:00 -0800 2003 1589363 0 danna 4 1589420 It's not to make them rich and sweet: they brown better with more butter and sugar and get crispier. With old waffle irons, too, more butter would prevent sticking. Thu Jan 30 23:03:56 -0800 2003 1589378 0 ironmom 1 1589369 I've done waffles for about 15. It's pretty stressful--but works okay if you have other things to nibble on. If you serve them fresh not everyone can eat their waffles at the same time. I just bring them out in fours and let folks fight it out. Melted nutella makes a very nice topping. You can put the nutella in a fondue pot or you can put in the microwave just long enough to melt it a little (in ours about 20 seconds). Thu Jan 30 14:52:09 -0800 2003 1589344 0 butterfly 1 1589382 The Joy of Cooking has a pretty good sour cream waffle recipe. Definitely whip the egg whites separately. I don't change the recipes at all to add mix-ins, and the waffles come out fine. Cornmeal waffles are good (I think the old Joy of Cooking suggests adding bacon pieces to the cornmeal waffles). Other mix-in ideas: I like to add some lemon zest to my bluberry waffles. Hazelnuts in the batter go really well with maple syrup. Thinly sliced bananas make for gooey treasures. Thu Jan 30 16:25:51 -0800 2003 1589344 0 Dumpling 1 1589384 Waffle Brunch for 20! You are certifiably nuts. Waffles are only good fresh, and making them fresh for 20 people is crazy, even if you have five or six waffle irons (unless you've got a catering staff of your own). Here's my idea of a much easier homemade brunch for 20: Various frittatas with different fillings, made early the morning before guests arrive. Frittatas are wonderful served at room temperature. Baguettes, plenty of butter. Perhaps some cheese (though if you've got frittatas with cheese, it's overkill) Fresh fruit salad. Green salad. And, of course, one can always put out smoked/pickled fish, bagels/bialys, cream cheese, olives, etc. Lots of coffee and tea (got an urn?) Bloody mary bar. But waffles for 20? That's why there are restaurants. Thu Jan 30 16:35:08 -0800 2003 1589344 0 Bob Libkind 2 1589386 I totally agree with Bob. Another great thing to make is a strata. It's a baked concoction with eggs and bread - some have cheese, meat or veggies (some examples: spinach and cheese; cheddar, vegetable and sausage). You mix the entire thing up the night before and let it sit overnight in the baking dish. Then just pop it in the oven in the morning. There are tons of recipes for these things on Epicurious. Thu Jan 30 16:43:24 -0800 2003 1589384 0 Jane 2 1589395 I've made extra waffles on lots of occasions and toasted them the next day, without noticeable degradation. They were still good. Frittatas for 20! That's what restaurants are for. Thu Jan 30 17:48:11 -0800 2003 1589384 0 bigjoe 3 1589424 The perfect waffle is crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle. It just can'be done in advance. No way. What you ate, I am sure, was palatable, perhaps even tasty in its own way, but it did not taste the way a fresh-made waffle should taste. Fri Jan 31 00:00:26 -0800 2003 1589395 0 Bob Libkind 1 1589405 Your party plans give me chills and fever. Please listen to all who have advised you to modify your menu. For a crowd of twenty you can have all kinds of nice brunch-type casseroles that you prepare AHEAD OF TIME. Someone suggested a strata, which you can do with or without sausage or with various kinds of cheese---a strata is a canvas for your creativity. Someone else mentioned baked French toast. You might also think of chicken au gratin (chopped up cooked chicken in well-flavored chicken gravy with bread crumbs and a little cheese on top, heated in the oven). Or corned beef hash made with fresh corned beef and real potatoes---don't use the canned dogfood kind. Or stuff large mushroom caps with whatever. Or go southern with baked spoon bread and have shrimp something to go with it and maybe half a ham, baked. I was once served a nice scalloped seafood brunch casserole made on base of supermarket stuffing mix. For that many people, serve a couple of different casseroles. Make them up the day before and refrigerate them then do them in the oven in time for your party. Don't dismiss quiche as a possibility, or vegetable tarts a la South of France. If you are serving bacon or sausage to twenty people, bake it in the oven rather than fry it, do so AHEAD OF TIME, and use pans deep enough that the grease won't run over and catch fire in the oven. Have a variety of breakfast breads, a huge fruit salad, pitchers of different juices, and vats of coffee. If our tears and shrieks can't persuade you to abandon the waffle plan, you absolutely must have several waffle irons working. If you can't find three or four, see if you can borrow electric griddles and add pancakes to your menu to take up some of the slack (they are much easier to handle than waffles, especially if you plan to offer mix-ins). And, by the way, adding blueberries to your waffles will court disaster as they probably will make the waffles stick, which is usually a royal pain with waffles anyway. If you want fruit with your waffles, rather than mix-ins it would be easier to heat frozen blueberries or strawberries with a little water and sugar, thicken with cornstarch, and serve as a hot sauce. Make this AHEAD OF TIME. If you want something cooked right then in a do-it-yourself way consider omelets---have different fillings and let people toss some egg mixture onto hot griddles---because things will move along faster than with waffles or even pancakes. Serving twenty people is not like serving four. For a large group you need to serve things that you can get going AHEAD OF TIME. Somewhere in nature there is a basic law: when you have a party, positive correlation exists between how much food preparation you don't do ahead of time and how crazy you are going to go during the party. If ahead-of-time just isn't your style, plan to use your oven for quantity preparation. Don't forget that if you are hosting this ball you will have other responsibilities such as massive food-shopping, cleaning the house, fixing flowers, and coping with any pets or children (who are guaranteed to mark the occasion by throwing up on the sofa just as your guests are arriving). Take a look at us old hairy cooks---how do you think we got so haggard and deranged? It's from giving waffle parties for twenty. And worse. Thu Jan 30 20:18:27 -0800 2003 1589344 0 N Tocus 2 1589444 Waffle Addendum: It takes about 5 minutes to cook a waffle. If 20 people eat 2 waffles apiece the group will consume 40 waffles. Thus, if one waffle iron is used, cooking 40 waffles will take 200 minutes, which divided by 60 minutes equals 3.33 hours required to cook waffles for 20 people. Adding to this figure the time necessary for removing one waffle, pouring in the next one, un-sticking stuck waffles, and reconditioning the iron brings total waffle-cooking time up to approximately 4 hours. Fri Jan 31 10:19:17 -0800 2003 1589405 0 N Tocus 2 1589467 I agree wholeheartedly, N Tocos. I was a bit frightened when I heard of this plan of waffles for 20. It made me imagine an all-day affair, or at least from 6am-Noon, of people who really aren't hungry and don't all mind standing around watching one person eat. What an idea. Unless, tizzie, you have servants or catering staff or a battery of wafflemakers and about half your guests are willing to "cook their own", this plan is madness. Even with a staff, waffles are a pain. Heck, when I make waffles for two people I make my husband start eating his while I'm cooking mine, since we both want fresh waffles. By the time he's finishing eating his, my waffle is coming out of the iron (each waffle takes about 5 to 5 1/2 minues) and I super-quick pour his second waffle in and then hotfoot it to the dining room to eat my waffle while his second one is cooking. Consequently, we are never actually eating waffles at the same time. He's finished with his first and waiting for his second while I'm eating mine. Not a convenience food! The idea of doing this even for four people makes me break out into a rash. Martha, the queen of unreality when it comes to party planning, had a little spot on her show about this last fall, IIRC. I remember saying "sure Martha, make waffles for a crowd, with your two housekeepers and your professional catering background". She did say people would congregate in the kitchen while you were making the waffles. What she didn't say is, you'll spend your entire party at the waffle iron, and won't go anywhere else or ever get to sit down. Please, tell us you opted for another plan? Fri Jan 31 15:24:37 -0800 2003 1589405 0 Mrs. Smith 3 1589469 I actually do have two waffle irons (an old one and a non-stick), but have never tried this. When there are more than 2 of us, having both irons going would be mostly, "Ok, who wants the regular, and who wants to wait for the Belgian?" Fri Jan 31 15:35:40 -0800 2003 1589467 0 ironmom 3 1589511 The whole point of electric waffle irons, IMO, is that you can make waffles at the table. You shouldn't have to hot-foot it to the dining room, you should a) eat in the kitchen, or b) set up the waffle iron in the dining room. We set up the waffle iron on the table (not in the kitchen) and split up each waffle as it comes out. Then we're both eating at the same time and ready for the next waffle when it's done. Since we got an electric griddle for pancakes, etc. that we set up on the table as well, we've eaten a lot more pancakes. Sat Feb 01 12:37:44 -0800 2003 1589467 0 Caitlin McGrath 4 1589566 [light bulb goes off] That's so obviously the right way to handle it I'm amazed I never thought of it. Either I'm really stupid or Caitlin is really brilliant. But then I always knew Caitlin was brilliant. Sun Feb 02 21:47:51 -0800 2003 1589511 0 Ruth Lafler 5 1589597 I don't claim credit. My mother always made waffles at the table, and I'll bet her mother did, too. Silly me, I thought that's what everyone did! [g] Mon Feb 03 10:38:21 -0800 2003 1589566 0 Caitlin McGrath 6 1589697 She Who Must Be Obeyed made some wonderful waffles for dinner tonight, Scandinavian style. 1 c flour 1 c sour cream 1/2 c sugar 1 tbs ground cardomon 5 eggs 4 tbs butter Cream the eggs and sugar to a ribbon, combined with everything else. Let is rest at least 10 minutes before lading onto the iron. No need to top these babies with butter --it simply oozes out of them in the mouth. Perhaps some strawberries with powered sugar or, to keep it properly Nordic, just spread lingonberries on top. Good strong coffee a must. Mon Feb 03 21:24:02 -0800 2003 1589597 0 Bob Libkind 5 1589638 Agreed -- Caitlin is brilliant and I am way stupid. It never even occurred to me! Bring that electric appliance into the eating area. Ah, the pleasures of breakfast I now anticipate. Split the waffle -- always have it fresh -- no dashing around with hot plates and steaming waffles. I thank you, Caitlin! (hand on heart) Mon Feb 03 15:23:12 -0800 2003 1589566 0 Mrs. Smith 2 1589480 Reading this thread has been like therapy for me. I can host huge dinner parties and not break a sweat, but everytime I have people over for waffles I am overcome with fear. I thought it was some deep-seated problem that went back to an incident 10 years ago... I was making waffles for a large group of friends. I mixed blueberries into the batter and was using the "family waffle iron" (one that my mom had used for over 25 years and had just bequeathed to me). They stuck, of course... I started brushing more and more oil on the iron to avoid future sticking. Finally my waffle iron burst into flames--really serious flames like you wouldn't believe. They singed my eyebrows off. In a fit of crazy fear, I took the beloved, flaming "family waffle iron" and threw it out my apartment window into the street. I had no idea others had similar waffle-anxiety. I feel liberated--I'm never making waffles for more than four people again and, darn it, that's okay! P.S. This posting is dedicated to all of those fine people who work at Waffle House and manage to crank out dozens of pee-can waffles every day. They are my heroes. Fri Jan 31 17:03:41 -0800 2003 1589405 0 butterfly 1 1589461 My Mom makes the best waffles (she's Danish so it comes with the terrain). Her basic recipe involves 2 cups flour, 2 cups buttermilk, 1 cube butter, melted, 2 eggs, separated with the whites beaten, and an approriate amount of baking soda. They are wonderful! If I were to attempt to make waffles for more than 2 persons, I would use one of those big square-shaped irons, and give each person a quarter at a time to keep them going until the next round. Under no circumstances would I try to handle more than 4 persons. I ruined an iron once by including blueberries in the batter. It seemed like a good idea at the time! The only variant I use to the basic recipe is to make gingerbread waffles with a recipe I invented that includes molasses and spices. These are great topped with fruit and whipped cream with mashed banana mixed in. Fri Jan 31 13:56:47 -0800 2003 1589344 0 Sharuf 2 1589478 Would you post or email me your recipe for gingerbread waffles that you mentioned? Sounds delicious! Thanks, Donna. Fri Jan 31 16:39:55 -0800 2003 1589461 0 Donna - MI 3 1589548 Here it is. It's basically Mom's buttermilk waffles, with molasses substituted for some of the buttermilk, and ginger and cinnamon added. I top these with fresh fruit (peaches, papayas, or pears are best) and whipped cream mixed with mashed bananas and brown sugar. BUTTERMILK WAFFLES 2 C sifted flour 2 t baking powder 1 t baking soda 1/2 t salt 3/4 t ground ginger 1 t ground cinnamon 1/2 C melted butter (1 cube) 1-2/3 cups buttermilk 1/3 C molasses 2 eggs, separated Sift together the dry ingredients into a bowl. Beat the egg whites and set aside. Mix together all else, and then add to the flour. Mix until just blended. Gently fold in the eggwhites (do not overmix). Bake in a waffle iron. Sun Feb 02 12:09:31 -0800 2003 1589478 0 Sharuf 4 1589553 Thank you for the waffle recipe, Sharuf. I look forward to trying it. D. Sun Feb 02 17:42:05 -0800 2003 1589548 0 Donna - MI 1 1589698 So, Tizzie, after reading all this, what's your brunch menu gonna be? Mon Feb 03 21:25:10 -0800 2003 1589344 0 Bob Libkind 1 1589894 I'm relatively new here (I've been reading for a while but just started posting) and I have to say, this thread made me laugh out loud, to have found so many people with such sage advice all in one place :-) I can tell Tizzie first hand that waffles for a crowd is not a good idea. I got a waffle iron for Christmas this past year, and christened it on Christmas morning with waffles for three. They were delicious, and so I decided to make waffles for New Year's day brunch. This brunch was a bit of an afterthought -- I have a regular group that I cook dinners with on Sundays, and figured maybe 6 or 8 would show. Well at the New Year's eve party the night before, word got out that I was doing brunch and close to 20 showed up. I have one waffle iron. Did I mention that? We made waffles back to back for about 2 and a half hours, and layered them on cookie trays in the oven, on low, to keep warm. By the time we ate, some were dried out like little crackers, some were mushy from being layered on top of one another, and most were barely edible. None were really hot by the time everyone had filled their plates and gotten to the table. It was a nice idea in concept, but from experience, I'd say, NEVER AGAIN! I too am waiting with baited breath to hear back from Tizzie, as to what she eventually decided to do! Wed Feb 05 02:31:14 -0800 2003 1589344 0 Buffy