Lemon-Maseca Waffles

Saturday is our Family Breakfast Day.  During the week, we don't get a chance to sit down as a family for breakfast because all of the kids wake up and start school at a different hour.

A few years ago, I saw a recipe for Lemon-Cornmeal waffles on Sugar. I loved that show!  Chef Anna Olson made those waffles look so delicious with her strawberry-rhubarb sauce that I just had to try them.  The only problem was that cornmeal isn't easy to find in Mexico.

But I've worked around that problem before!  There is one product, available in every tiendita in Mexico that works great in almost every recipe that calls for cornmeal.  MASECA! (Maseca is masa harina used to make corn tortillas and tamale batter.)

The first time I tried the recipe, I followed it exactly.  The waffles were delicious, but I wanted a stronger Maseca taste.  It took a couple of tries before I got the result I wanted.

The original recipe suggests a strawberry-rhubarb sauce.  I've never seen rhubarb in Mexico, so when I first made these waffles, I made the sauce with strawberries.  Both the waffles and sauce are delicious.  But when served together, the flavor of the strawberry sauce covers the faint flavors of the lemon and cornmeal.  I prefer to serve these waffles with a dusting of powdered sugar or maple syrup. 

Lemon-Maseca Waffles
(slightly adapted from Anna Olson's recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 3/4 cup Maseca (or cornmeal)
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/4 cups buttermilk*
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs, separated

 

 Directions:
 *If you don't have buttermilk, stir 1 tablespoon of white vinegar into the 1-1/4 cups of milk and let sit for 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, Maseca, sugar, baking powder, lemon zest and salt.  

In a separate bowl or a 2-cup measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, vegetable oil and egg yolks.

Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture; mix until just combined.  Do NOT overmix.  (A few lumps are okay!)

Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form.

Gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter.

Lightly grease a 7-inch waffle iron with butter or cooking spray.  Spoon 2/3 cup of batter onto waffle iron. (Use more or less batter depending on the size of your waffle iron.)  Close the waffle iron and let cook 4 minutes or until no steam escapes from the waffle iron.

Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200ºF oven until ready to serve.  Enjoy!!!

With Love,