Tuesday, June 22, 2010

June 22nd - Waffles with Frizzled Ham and Maple Mustard Cream

Waffles you say?
Gosh darn, I did!  Breakfast for dinner is becoming really really popular in the Chicago-land area.  You can find all sorts of savory waffles/pancakes and egg dishes on dinner menus throughout the city.   I think folks like the comfort breakfast foods provide.  Plus, they take well to interpretations.  This, my dear friends, is an absolute treat that you MUST try.  Brian is putting this recipe in his top 10 favorite recipes of all time!  That's a big honor from such an oldster!  (Ha ha, kidding!)

Seriously, ditch the Eggos and either make waffle batter from scratch or buy the Malted Mix from Williams-Sonoma (that's what I used).  This recipe deserves the best waffle you can get!  The maple-mustard cream is like gooey heaven and the pieces of ham thrown in put you over the edge!  It all works fabulously together to make a memorable dinner that'll make your guests think twice before poo-pooing your crazy ideas!!

THE RECIPE

Ingredients
Butter: had
Ham: $2.57
Heavy Whipping Cream: $1.99
Maple Syrup: $6.00 (I got the real stuff)
Dijon Mustard: $1.00
Green Onions: $0.53
Waffles: used the Malted Mix from Williams-Sonoma which I had in the pantry

Total: $12.09

THE RESULTS

FAST:  The recipe takes about 20 minutes including prep time, sauce cooking time, and waffle making time.

EASY:  Super easy.  You just saute the ham for 5 minutes, then add all the rest of the sauce ingredients and let simmer for 3 minutes.  The hardest part for me was making the waffles.

FRESH:  The green onions add the fresh zing to the sauce.  Make sure to have some extra for garnish!

OVERALL:  LOVE THIS RECIPE!!  LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS RECIPE!!  I'm going to go out on a limb and say this is the best recipe so far this year from this crazy (time consuming) project.  The ham-maple-mustard cream is so delicious.  Who would have thought maple and mustard would go so well together?  Now, in order for this to work, you CANNOT use Mrs. Butterworths.  You need to spring for the real maple syrup (it is pretty expensive though).  It will not taste the same.  I just tried it and it does not taste the same!!   Please, do me a favor and have waffles for dinner.  The kids will love it and your dinner guests will freak!

I don't know if anything will ever top the awesomeness of this recipe, but we've got white beans tomorrow.  I'm thinking it'll be a let down.  We'll see ya tomorrow and find out!

1 comment:

nik.zimm said...

OMG! I'm so glad you liked these. I remember we weren't too sure when we talked about it before hand. Can't wait to make them for the nephews. :)

Oooh, this may be an awesome pairing for a coffee tasting!!