This is the last recipe in the "Fruit, Nut, and Not-So-Plain Waffles" chapter of the book! (Unless you count the bacon and beer variant of this recipe as a separate thing, which I'm not.) So, I guess that means I'll be onto the savoury waffle chapter next time.

I know there've been an awful lot of waffles lately. And most of them look, at least superficially, the same. But I've been having fun working my way through this book and trying as many of the recipes as possible. Hopefully I'll be able to try them all eventually! (Although I think I'll skip the clam dip one until we have some more conclusive information on the Kidlet's potential shellfish allergies. And I may have to skip the malt waffles entirely if I continue to be unable to find the right kind of malt flour. We'll see...)

Anyway, ale waffles! These are ideally meant to be made with an amber ale. I ended up with a Belgian dark ale, which, I think, is not quite the same. I assume that amber ales fall somewhere between dark and pale on the ale scale, but I couldn't find anything specifically labelled as an amber ale, so I just went with the dark. This seems to have done the trick and imparted a noticeable beer flavour without the chemical alcohol taste.

The batter mixes up surprisingly thick and light. It's an interesting texture that cooks up into beautifully crisp waffles that I think work well as a sort of sweet-and-savoury breakfast. I topped mine with a combination of baked beans, scrambled eggs, and maple syrup. And I can definitely see why the author suggested a bacon variant as a bit of bacon or sausage would have been perfect to go along with the waffles and eggs. Alas, I was all out so I had to make do without the meat.

Amber Ale Waffles

Slightly adapted from Waffles: Sweet, Savory, Simple by Dawn Yanagihara

Ingredients

• 280g all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 large eggs
• 330mL dark or amber ale¹
• 6 Tbsp. milk
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat waffle iron.
2. Sift baking powder into flour.
3. Mix in salt and nutmeg.
4. In a large measuring cup, beat eggs and mix in ale, milk, and sugar.
5. Wisk the butter into the wet ingredients.
6. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and whisk until just combined.
7. Scoop a portion of batter into the preheated waffle iron and cook according to manufacturer directions. Repeat until all batter has been used.
8. Serve with scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, and/or maple syrup.

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Variations

Bacon and Beer Waffles

Ingredients

• 280g all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 large eggs
• 330mL dark or amber ale¹
• 6 Tbsp. milk
• 2 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 3 Tbsp. bacon grease
• 225g bacon, cooked and crumbled

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¹ The original recipe calls for 360mL of ale and 1/4 c. of milk, but the bottles I got were only 330mL, so I just used one bottle of ale and bumped the milk up to 6 Tbsp. to compensate. ^Back

This simple salad was alright. It wasn't great, but it used up the rest of the celery root I had sitting in the fridge and it was decent enough as a side dish. I probably won't make it again, but it was interesting to try.

Photo goes here.

Celery Root Rémoulade

Slightly adapted from Vegetable of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 680g celery root (celeriac)
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3 Tbsp. Roman mustard¹
• 1/4 c. boiling water
• 1/4 c. olive oil²
• 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar³
• 3-4 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives

Directions

1. Peel the celery root and cut it into thin matchsticks.
2. Sprinkle with lemon juice and sea salt and toss to combine.
3. Cover and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
4. After standing for 30 minutes, rinse the celery root, drain, and pat dry.
5. Warm a heatproof bowl and place the mustard in it.
6. Drizzle the boiling water into the mustard, whisking constantly.
7. Slowly drizzle in the oil, continuing to whisk while doing so.
8. Whisk in the vinegar.
9. Add the celery root and toss to combine.
10. Cover and cill for 3-24 hours.
11. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

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¹ The original recipe calls for 1/4 c. of Dijon mustard. I reduced this to 3 Tbsp. since I generally find our homemade Roman mustard quite strong. You may want to bump it up slightly if you're using a milder mustard. ^Back
2 The original recipe calls for 1/3-1/2 c. of olive oil, but only 3 Tbsp. of water and 2 Tbsp. of vinegar. I usually like my salad dressings to have a bit less oil and more vinegar, so I reduced the oil and increased the water and vinegar somewhat. ^Back
3 The original recipe calls for either white wine or champagne vinegar. I didn't want to go out and get a whole new bottle of vinegar just for this one recipe, so I just used the red wine vinegar that I already had on hand. ^Back

This is a simple chicken soup simmered with lime juice and oregano. It then gets topped with tortilla chips/tostadas, sour cream, cheese, avocado, sour cream, and cilantro. The original recipe doesn't actually call for the sour cream or cilantro, but I had both available, so I used them!

This is a nice, light-tasting and refreshing soup. Not super substantial, but it is simple to put together and the flavours are nice.

Mexican Chicken-Lime Soup

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 3-4 limes
• 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts¹
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil or schmaltz
• 1 onion, chopped
• 5-6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeño², minced
• 3 c. chicken stock
• 2 c. water³
• 1/2 Tbsp. dried oregano
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
• 60g queso fresco⁴, crumbled
• 1/4 c. sour cream (or lime crema)
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• tortilla chips or tostadas

Directions

1. Cut one lime into wedges and set aside. Juice enough of the remaining limes to produce 1/4 c. of juice and set aside.
2. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper.
3. Heat the oil or schmaltz over medium heat.
4. Add the chicken, skin-side-down, and cook until browned on both sides (4-5 minutes per side). Transfer to plate and set aside.
5. Add the onion to the now-empty pot (which should have some fat in it) and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
6. Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook for 1-2 minutes.
7. Add the chicken stock, water, lime juice, and oregano.
8. Return the chicken to the pot and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chicken is well-cooked and tender (20-30 minutes).
10. Reduce heat to low and keep warm.
11. Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool slightly. Meanwhile, cover the pot and keep the broth warm.
12. Remove and discard the skin and bones from the chicken. Shred the meat and return it to the pot.
13. Serve soup topped with avocado, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and tortilla chips/broken tostadas and pass lime wedges on the side.

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¹ I didn't have any chicken breasts, so I ended up using some skinless, boneless chicken thighs instead. To make up for the lack of skin, I cooked them in a generous portion of schmaltz. And, although I didn't have any bones to cook with the soup, I was using a good, flavourful, home-made chicken stock that I had used a chicken carcass to make. So hopefully that worked out about right in the end. ^Back
2 I had picked up some lovely poblano chilies on sale earlier, so I used half a poblano in place of the jalapeño. ^Back
3 The original recipe calls for 3 c. of water, but I thought that sounded like too much, so I cut it back slightly. ^Back
4 I couldn't get any queso fresco (or ricotta salata, which was suggested as a substitute), so I just used a little grated mild cheddar instead. ^Back

The last enchiladas went over so well, that I decided to try another batch. These ones aren't quite as hearty as the vegetable enchiladas that I made before as they lack any legumes or other significant sources of protein. They were still quite tasty though.

Spinach, Potato, and Corn Enchiladas

Slightly adapted from Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 2 large baking potatoes
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 c. fresh or frozen corn
• 280g spinach
• 828mL enchilada sauce
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 12 corn tortillas
• 125g cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. Pierce the potatoes with a fork several times, place on a baking sheet, and bake at 190°C (375°F) until tender (~40 minutes).
3. Set aside to cool, then dice.
4. Reduce oven temperature to 180°C (350°F).
5. Heat the oil over medium heat.
6. Add the bell pepper and onion and cook until softened (~5 minutes).
7. Add the diced potatoes, corn, and spinach and cook for a minute or two.
8. Pour in 1 c. (~240mL) of the enchilada sauce, cover, and cook for ~5 minutes.
9. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
10. Pour ~1/2 c. (120mL) of the remaining enchilada sauce into a 23x33cm (9x13") baking dish.
11. Gently warm the remaining enchilada sauce (~450mL) in a frying pan.
12. Working with one tortilla at a time, dip it into the sauce until the tortilla is warmed and softened. Then take the tortilla out, place it in the prepared baking dish, and spoon ~1/12 of the filling in a line down the centre of the softened tortilla. Roll it up and place it seam-side down in the dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas, packing the enchiladas in relatively tightly.
13. Pour any remaining sauce over the enchiladas.
14. Top with the cheese.
15. Bake at 180°C (350°F) until enchiladas are headed through and cheese is melted (~20 minutes).
16. Serve hot and garnish with salsa, sour cream, avocado, sliced radish, and/or cilantro if desired.

Breakfast Tacos (Breakfast Bible version)

I was initially planning on making breakfast burritos for breakfast this morning, but I failed to procure a few of the ingredients and ended up swapping them out for these breakfast tacos instead. I had all the ingredients on hand and it let me use up a few things out of the fridge that really needed used.

There are a lot of different parts to these tacos, but none of them requires much in the way of prep. It's mostly just chopping, maybe stirring a few things together in a bowl. The only thing that really needs cooking is the eggs. So that helps make this a fairly tractable morning recipe. Although it's still a little more complicated than I'd normally prefer for a weekday breakfast. Perfect for a weekend though!

I just filled my tacos with the toppings listed in the recipe: cheese, beans, avocado, crema, pickled onions, and cilantro. And they were great that way. That said, I do think a little salsa (or pico de gallo, as the recipe author suggests) would have been nice as well. And you could certainly experiment with trying out different toppings and adjusting the combination somewhat. Thinly sliced radishes and pickled jalapeños spring to mind as potential candidates. Refried beans... tomatoes... taco sauce... ketchup... take your pick!

Breakfast Tacos

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 6 Tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 c. sour cream
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice
• 1/4 tsp. lime zest
• 1 tsp. minced jalapeño
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 8 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. unsalted butter
• 8 small (15cm) corn tortillas
• 1/2 c. cooked pinto beans¹
• 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 c. cheese, either grated cheddar or crumbled cotija or feta
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Stir together the onion, vinegar, and sugar and let stand for at least 30 minutes.
2. Stir together sour cream, lime juice, lime zest, and jalapeño and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let stand while you prepare the rest of the meal.
3. Beat the eggs with the milk and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Melt the butter over medium-low heat.
5. Pour in the eggs and allow to cook for a minute or two without stirring.
6. Stir the eggs and scrape the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking and occasionally stirring until eggs are soft set in large curds.
7. Meanwhile, warm the tortillas until soft and supple.
8. Assemble to tacos by filling the tortillas with scrambled eggs and topping with beans, avocado, cheese, crema, pickled onions, and cilantro and serve.

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¹ I already had an open can of baked beans in the fridge, so I just used those instead of opening a can of pinto beans or trying to cook some from scratch. ^Back

Bafflingly, this recipe came out of The Breakfast Bible! It's delicious, but I don't think that any recipe that calls for >1 c. of sugar and 2 c. of whipping cream (and not much else) should be considered breakfast! We had it for dessert last night and it was lovely.

I was surprised at how well the cream clung to the apple skin. I thought it would all just run right off and I'd be sitting there wondering what on Earth they were thinking when writing the instructions. But it actually worked quite well! (The instructions about coring the apples could've stood a bit of adjustment, but giving them their sugar-cream coating actually worked out just fine.)

The original recipe just says to core the apples with an apple corer. So, as far as I can tell, you're meant to punch a hole all the way throug the centre of the apple. I did this with the first one, but I didn't like how it looked and it seemed like it would give a worse final result since you're instructed to fill the apples with the remaining cream and sugar before putting them into the oven. If you've punched all the way through, then everything's just going to run out the bottom! That didn't really seem like a winning plan to me. So, after considering the first apple, I decided to take a different tack with the remaining seven and leave the bottom in tact. This approach does risk ending up with a bit of the core/blossom being served with the final dessert, but I think it's worth it for the easier baking and nicer presentation.

Baked Apples with Cream

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 8 large apples¹
• 1-2 c. heavy (35%) cream², divided
• 1 c. sugar⁴
• ~1 tsp. ground cinnamon⁵
• 1/2 c. water
• 1-2 Tbsp. icing sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F).
2. Cut a cone out of the top of each apple to remove the stem and some of the surrounding skin.
3. Use a spoon to dig out the core and seeds, leaving the bottom of the apple in tact.
4. Measure out 1/3 c. of the cream.
5. Place the sugar (or cinnamon-sugar) in a shallow bowl.
6. Working with one apple at a time, use a pastry brush to brush the outside of the apple with cream, then roll the apple in the sugar to completely coat it. Set the sugar-coated apple in a shallow baking dish. Repeat with remaining apples.
7. Once all the apples have been coated, pour any of the cream remaining from brushing the apples into the centres of the fruit.
8. Spoon the remaining sugar into the centres of the apples, dividing it as evenly as possible.
9. Sprinkle with the cinnamon (unless using cinnamon sugar for coating).
10. Pour the water into the bottom of the baking dish.
11. Bake at 150°C (300°F) for 90 minutes, carefully basting every 30 minutes.
12. Meanwhile, combine the remaining cream with the icing sugar and vanilla. (If using the larger amount of cream, use the larger amount of sugar.) Beat until stiffened.
13. Once the apples are done, transfer to bowls and top with whipped cream. If desired, add 1-2 Tbsp. of ice cream to the centre of each apple before topping with cream.

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¹ The original recipe calls for Rome Beauty apples. I ended up using 7 Ambrosia apples + 1 Royal Gala. The Gala (pictured) was much smaller than the Ambrosias and, I think, probably less well-suited to this recipe, but it still worked out fine. ^Back
2 The original recipe calls for 2 c. of cream. I think that seems a bit excessive, especially if you opt to have this as a breakfast dish after all. Since we only had ~1 c. of cream left anyway, I just used that and called it a day.^{3 Back
3} I may have also added a small amount of ice cream to the centre of my apple before topping it with whipped cream. Definitely not a requirement, but I think it was a nice addition. Personally, I liked the idea of a small amount of ice cream + a small amount of whipped cream better than burying the apple under a mountain of whipped cream alone. ^Back
4 Here, again, I reduced the quantities slightly. The original recipe calls for 1 1/4 c. of sugar. I felt like 1 c. would be enough, so I just rolled with that. ^Back
5 The recipe didn't specify a quantity for the cinnamon and I didn't measure how much I used, but I think it was probably around a teaspoon. Next time I might actually be inclined to use cinnamon sugar to coat the apples rather than trying to add the cinnamon separately afterward. I think it would provide a more even distribution and hopefully it wouldn't be too cinnamon-y. I might try it with a half-strength batch of cinnamon sugar for the first go 'round: maybe a 1:12 or 1:16 cinnamon:sugar ratio. Something to think about for next time anyway.^Back

I've never really gotten on board with the whole green smoothie/puréed vegetables for breakfast thing. Mixing a little bit of wheatgrass or whatever in is one thing, but if you're putting in enough greens to make it look like a St. Patrick's Day special, I am immediately dubious. It starts seeming like one of those health food fads that tries to pack in "superfoods" and forgets that food is actually supposed to taste good. So, I generally avoid the recipes that call for you to drink a kale-spirulina-avocado-superfood-of-the-month slurry sweetened with positive energy and sunshine. But... I'd already made all the other smoothie bowls in the book. And this one at least called for a decent quantity of banana and almond butter. So it seemed like those would hopefully end up as the dominant flavours, with the spinach and avocado just lending a bit of colour and bulk. And, I have to say, it did work out rather nicely! I was quite happy with the results and would definitely make it again.

I did add a bit of honey to my smoothie. And I also bumped up the quantity of almond butter a bit. And I think it did need that to get the flavours balanced right. But, having done that, it was great!

I also decided to add a little bit of toasted coconut to mine (not pictured). Which I think was a good combo. I think pineapple would also work well as a topping if you happen to have some on hand.

Green Smoothie Bowls

Slightly adapted from The Breakfast Bible by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

• 1 c. plain Greek yogurt
• 55g baby spinach
• 1/2 an avocado
• 2 bananas
• 2 Tbsp. honey
• 3-4 Tbsp. almond butter
• 1 mango, sliced
• 150g blueberries
• 2 Tbsp. pumpkin seeds (pepitas), toasted
• 1 Tbsp. oat bran¹, toasted
• 1-2 Tbsp. toasted coconut (optional)

Directions

1. Combine the yogurt, spinach, avocado, bananas, honey, and almond butter in a blender and purée until smooth.
2. Divide the smoothie into 2-4 bowls depending on how big you want your servings to be. (I found 1/4 of the batch to be plenty for me.)
3. For small bowls: top each with 1/4 of the mango, ~35g of blueberries, 1/2 Tbsp. of pumpkin seeds, 3/4 tsp. oat bran, and ~1/2 Tbsp. of coconut. For large bowls: double all the topping quantities.

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¹ I couldn't find my oat bran, so I just omitted it. The Kidlet probably wouldn't have liked it anyway. ^Back