Today is Shrove Tuesday, a.k.a. Mardi Gras, a.k.a. Pancake Tuesday.
Pancakes are a traditional food on the day before Ash Wednesday since they contain several substances Christians traditionally gave up for Lent—milk, eggs, and butter.
My family has rechristened the day Waffle Tuesday so that we can eat our newest breakfast creation, Corn Waffles. We first made them last week to help my nephew Michael study for a test.
Michael lives in Virginia. Recently in school he has been studying Virginia’s past—specifically, the state’s part in the Revolutionary War.
The other day we were quizzing him on material he had been asked to learn.
He did a great job mimicking John Paul Jones and declaring, “I have not yet begun to fight.”
He knew where Thomas Jefferson lived even though we have yet to visit Monticello. (I hope we’ll get there in the spring!)
For some reason, however, he had trouble remembering details about the Battle of Yorktown—specifically, the name of the British General who surrendered at Yorktown to George Washington, Lord Cornwallis.
In order to make Cornwallis’s name more memorable we started calling him Lord Corn Waffles.
Soon we decided to reinforce the lesson by allowing Michael to taste the general’s namesake.
The rest, as they say, is history……
Corn Waffles
Ingredients:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) sweet butter
1-1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs, separated
2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions:
Melt the butter and set it aside to cool slightly while you assemble the other ingredients.
In a medium bowl use a whisk to combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda.
In a larger bowl combine the buttermilk, milk, and egg yolks. Stir in the dry ingredients.
In a clean bowl beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Beat in the sugar. Gently fold the sugared egg whites into the milk combination.
Cover the batter and place it in the refrigerator overnight. (You may just let it stand at room temperature for a few minutes, but your waffles will be fluffier if the batter can stand overnight, and the cornmeal will be better blended.)
The next morning take the batter out of the refrigerator and let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Brush your waffle iron with butter and preheat it. Cook the waffles as needed (usually 3 to 5 minutes, depending on your waffle iron).
Serves 4 to 6.
The Surrender of Cornwallis by John Trumbull (Photo Credit: Architect of the Capitol)
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