whole enchilada

Everything on a Waffle

Primrose lives in a small town and has recently lost her parents to the sea. She doesn't believe they're dead, though, and lives with the hope that they'll be home soon. This doesn't settle well with most folks in town, but Kate Bowzer, owner of The Girl on the Red Swing restaurant, is on Primrose's side. The first time we learn about the restaurant, Primrose is escaping the taunting of fellow classmates, thanks to her belief her parents are alive:

Miss Bowzer owned and operated the restaurant. She dragged a stool up to the stove for me, continued smoking and making waffles, and listened to my tale of woe. She made about a million waffles while I sat there. She had to make about a million every day because at The Girl on the Red Swing they served everything on a waffle. Not just the kind of food that went with waffles--not just ham and eggs on a waffle or strawberries on a waffle. No, at The Girl on the Red Swing, if you ordered a steak it came on a waffle, if you ordered fish and chips it came on a waffle, if you ordered waffles they came on a waffle. Miss Bowzer said it gave the restaurant class. p 16

This passage reminded me of a restaurant specialty that Chip and I saw when visiting my sister in New Orleans recently: the womlette at the Fat Hen Grill. We didn't order one (be sure to look at the picture and be amazed at its size), but the thought sounded tasty.

I had every intention of using this waffle maker, but due to unforeseen circumstances, I ended up using our 'modern' one. Let's just say that you should always check things (like the inside of the oven) before turning them on to make sure they're clear of foreign objects...


Every chapter ends with a recipe that looks like this:

Waffles

Mix together 2 cups of flour, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, put 3 large and well-beaten eggs, 1/2 stick of butter and 1 1/2 cups of milk. Make a hole in the middle of your dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients and stir it all up. Make sure your waffle iron is hot and greased if it is the type that is supposed to be greased and then pour in enough batter so that it spreads all over but not quite to the edge or it will end up leaking out the sides and making a big mess. If you have an electric waffle iron, it will tell you when the waffles are done, otherwise you must check them and turn the iron on the burner until the waffle is brown. Serve with butter and syrup. Or if you are The Girl on the Red Swing, everything.

My notes: It's not clear in the recipe, but the butter should be melted and cooled slightly before adding it to the eggs and milk. You can also get away with two eggs and one egg white. I'm curious to know how these would be different if I made them in the other iron... if I can get it clean, I'll try this again with more toppings!

You can substitute a ½ c buttermilk for a tasty twist!

Book recommendation: Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath
Recipe recommendation: Kate Bowzer's Waffles
YouTube recommendation: Her Morning Elegance