Yeasted Waffles

I have been wanting to try yeasted waffles for a while, but never found the time. Had I known how good they were I would have definitely made them sooner! You can smell the yeast as the waffles cook, leaving your mouth watering for a taste. The yeast flavor is also present in the waffle. The waffle itself has a crispy bite, but a soft center. As you can see, the waffle iron itself is in need of replacing (hence the half browned sections), but the waffles still manage to shine in flavor. I have made/tasted several types of waffle batter and while each give you and different taste and texture, this is by far my favorite waffle.

Yeasted Waffles

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1/2 cup warm water

2 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast

2 cups whole milk, warmed

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Combine the water and yeast in a large mixing bowl. Let yeast stand to dissolve 5 minutes before proceeding. Add the milk, butter, salt, sugar, and flour to the bowl. Whisk until well blended and smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature overnight.

When you are ready to make waffles, preheat the waffle iron. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and place a plate in the oven. Just before making the waffles, whisk the eggs and baking soda into the batter until smooth. The batter will be very thin. Fill batter in waffle iron and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Cook until crisp and golden. Transfer finished waffles to a warmed plate in the oven while you cook the rest of the batter. Top as desired with butter, syrup, etc.

Source: Annie’s Eats, originally from The Breakfast Book by Marion Cunningham

One Year Ago Today: Aloha Burgers

Oven-Fried Chicken

We are back from vacation in Sunny Florida, welcomed back to New York with cool Fall weather. Although I am very ready for some aspects of Fall, such as College Football, I’m just not ready for the colder weather. Due to the cooler temperatures I have been craving all things comfort food. Fried chicken and mashed potatoes was first on the list. The chicken is quickly fried in oil before being placed in the oven to finish cooking. You still get all the crunch when you bite into the chicken, but the benefit of not dealing with a lot of hot oil. The only adjustment I will be making to the recipe is to add either some paprika or cayenne to the flour mixture. My husband and I both agreed it was missing a little heat, but we still loved the meal!

Oven-Fried Chicken

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2 chicken (3 pounds each), cut in 8 serving pieces

1 quart buttermilk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil or shortening

Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Take the chicken out of the buttermilk and coat each piece thoroughly with the flour mixture. Pour the oil into a large heavy-bottomed stockpot to a depth of 1-inch and heat to 360 degrees on a thermometer.

Working in batches, carefully place several pieces of chicken in the oil and fry for about 3 minutes on each side until the coating is a light golden brown. Make sure to not overcrowd the pan. Remove the chicken from the oil and place each piece on a metal baking rack set on a sheet pan. Allow the oil to return to 350 degrees before frying the next batch. When all the chicken is fried, bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is no longer pink inside. Serve hot.

Source: www.foodnetwork.com/ina-garten

Headed to the Beach…

My husband and I have been enjoying the beach for the last week. This was a vacation that both of us needed, filled with lots of R&R. Since I have been out of the kitchen the past week, The Sweet and Savory Kitchen is also going on vacation. I hope to have some new posts within the next week or so, but until then happy cooking and baking!

Spiced Peach Muffins

Before the peach season is over I wanted to share another recipe. I again had some peaches that were going bad and refused to let them go to waste. I was in the mood for muffins at the time and wondered if peaches would be good in a muffin. After a little searching, I found this recipe from King Arthur Flour. The spices in this recipe reminded both myself and my husband of pumpkin pie! The smell of allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg filled the house while the muffins were baking. The peaches worked surprisingly well the spices, but could easily be substituted with other fruits. The muffins were originally supposed to be made into over-sized muffins, but I went with more regular sized muffins and made close to 2 dozen.

Spiced Peach Muffins

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4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 eggs

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/4 cups milk

4 peaches, diced (not peeled) or 3 cups small whole berries or other fruit, diced

granulated sugar

Combine flour, salt, baking powder, brown sugar, allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in eggs, vegetable oil and milk, then gently stir in fruit. Grease 16 muffin cups, and heap batter into cups; they’ll be very full. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until muffins test done.

Source: King Arthur Flour

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes and Blog Anniversary!!!

The Sweet and Savory Kitchen is one year old today!!!

I can’t quite believe that a year ago I started this blog and have actually been able to keep up and produce 200 posts within a year. I started this blog to give inspiration and share recipes with some of my family members, but I think the real joy and purpose has been trying new dishes and finding out favorite foods for myself and family. I went from only having a handful of recipes that I would repeat each week, to never cooking the same thing twice…unless of course its really good! I have now learned that there are so many recipes out there you shouldn’t be bored with what you eat! Enough about turning one…let’s talk cupcakes!

I thought it only fitting to have my one year anniversary post be something that I truly love. Chocolate and peanut butter is on of my favorite combinations. Be prepared to eat the cupcakes with some milk though because they are super rich! My only disappointment with the actual cupcake part was it was very dense, almost brownie-like. I would have preferred a more moist, crumb cake, but either way the cupcake had all the peanut butter one could possibly consume! A peanut butter buttercream frosting surrounded by chocolate cake and a surprise peanut butter filling once you bite in..so delicious!!

Peanut Butter Filled Chocolate Cupcakes

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For the Cupcakes:

2/3 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Peanut Butter Filling:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Peanut Butter Icing:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 cup creamy peanut butter

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup heavy cream

To Make Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Put butter and chocolates in a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly.

Whisk sugar into cooled chocolate mixture. Add eggs, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir until well incorporated.

To Make Peanut Butter Filling:

Stir together all ingredients for filling until smooth. Use immediately.

To Assemble Cupcake Batter:

Spoon 2 tablespoons chocolate batter into each lined cup, followed by 1 heaping tablespoon peanut butter filling. Repeat with another tablespoon of batter,

Bake, rotating tin halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached, about 40 minutes (Mine baked 25 minutes). Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.

To Make Peanut Butter Icing:

Place the confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.

Source adapted from: Martha Stewart Cupcakes

Frosting adapted from: www.foodnetwork.com/ina-garten