Patty's Famous Sunday Waffles

Waffle Sundays: better than church! Not every Sunday was Waffle Sunday, but waffles were always on Sunday. The waffles were the star, but typically my mom would also make delicious potatoes and serve sausages or other sides. It was always a feast, whether there were four people or 20. Mimosas pair well with Waffle Sundays.

Waffles are delicious, but they merely serve as a canvas for the toppings. Most people, waffle virgins I'll call them, don't know how this works. They add butter and syrup and think they are done. But not at my house.

Topping offerings usually look something like this: butter, peanut butter or even better almond butter, real maple syrup, vanilla yogurt, bananas, other season fresh fruit, chopped almonds or walnuts, shredded coconut, chocolate chips and whipped cream. (I'm sure I'm leaving something out.) My mom even used to add cream cheese, until she decided it was a little too much.

This version of Patty's Famous Sunday Waffles has been updated to include tips from an article that Patty sent to me years ago. This recipe will serve 3 to 4 people; you may want to double it for larger groups.

• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon sugar

1. Whisk together first 4 ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate medium bowl, mix buttermilk, milk, oil, vanilla and only the egg yolks. Reserve egg whites in a separate small bowl.
2. Beat egg whites until soft peaks begin to form. Sprinkle in the sugar and continue beating until white and shiny and stiff peaks form.
3. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Carefully fold in egg whites a couple dollops at a time. Let stand about 5 minutes. Plug in your waffle iron(s) and let them heat up while the batter rests.
4. Make sure to lightly spray your waffle irons with non-stick spray before the first waffle and again after every other one. I think it's best to leave the waffles in the irons even after they say they are done, to get a crispier, golden brown waffle.
   
5. How to prepare the prefect waffle (carefully developed over a lifetime): One hot waffle. Base layer of peanut butter or almond butter. A thin layer of vanilla yogurt. A liberal application of maple syrup. Sliced bananas or strawberries, a sprinkle of chocolate chips, shredded coconut. A good layer of whipped cream. Finish it off with a dusting of finely chopped nuts. Enjoy.

*We usually serve the waffles as they are ready (2 or 4 at a time, depending on how many irons you've got going), but the article suggests heating your oven to 200 degrees and leaving them directly on the rack in a single layer for 5 minutes (up to 20) so that they can all be served at the same time. This will also help the waffles to be crispier.