Ancient Grains for Modern Meals - Maria Speck [34]
ORANGE CREAM TOPPING
1 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 large orange
½ cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
1 to 2 tablespoons honey
WAFFLES
2 cups whole milk
¼ teaspoon saffron threads
2 cups white whole wheat flour (8½ ounces)
2 tablespoons sugar
2½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Maple syrup, for drizzling
SEE MEASURING WHOLE GRAIN FLOUR
1 To make the orange cream topping, beat the yogurt in a medium bowl with a wooden spoon until smooth. Finely grate the orange until you have 1 tablespoon zest. Set the zest aside. Peel the fruit, cut the segments into ½-inch pieces, removing as much of the pith as you like (see “The Joy of Pith,” below), and gently stir into the yogurt. In a second medium bowl, using a hand mixer, whip the cream, honey, and zest until firm peaks form. Using a spatula, scrape the cream into the bowl with the yogurt-orange mixture, and fold until just combined. Chill, covered, until ready to use.
2 Place a wire rack on a baking sheet and transfer the sheet to the center shelf of the oven. The wire rack will keep the waffles from getting soggy. Preheat the oven to 200°F.
3 To make the waffles, place ¼ cup of the milk and the saffron in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until steaming. (Or combine the milk and saffron in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high until steaming, 15 to 20 seconds). Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
4 In a large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the remaining 1¾ cups milk, saffron milk, and oil until blended. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and whisk together with a few swift strokes. Do not overmix; the batter should have a pebbled look, with many lumps. Allow the batter to sit for 5 minutes while preheating the waffle iron (or chill the batter for up to 1 hour).
5 Lightly grease the waffle iron with oil or coat it with cooking spray. When a drop of water sizzles and briskly evaporates on the surface, add 1 scant cup batter to the center and level with a spatula to distribute (or as specified in the manufacturer’s instructions). Close the lid and cook until the waffles are golden and can be removed easily using tongs, 3½ to 4 minutes. Transfer the waffles to the baking sheet until ready to serve. Do not stack them, as the waffles will become soggy. Continue until all the batter is used, lightly greasing the waffle iron in between as necessary.
TO GET A HEAD START: The orange cream topping can be prepared 1 day ahead. Chill, covered.
TO LIGHTEN IT UP: You can use lowfat or nonfat Greek yogurt in the topping. Or omit the heavy cream, double the amount of yogurt, and add a bit more honey to taste. In the batter, 1 percent or 2 percent milk will work fine.
THE JOY OF PITH
When professional chefs serve citrus, they typically remove any remnants of white pith and even cut the fruit segments out of their silky skins, the so-called membranes. My Greek mom just peels, chops, and eats the fruit, pith and all, and so do I—because I am too busy to bother, and I enjoy the slight chew with its wee bit of bitterness. And more recently we learned that pith contains beneficial nutrients. Well, even better!
Cornmeal Pancakes with Warm Cherry Sauce
These tangy buttermilk pancakes owe their appealing texture to two kinds of flour: medium-coarse cornmeal and white whole wheat. No one in your family will even notice that this is a whole grain treat. Of course, you may use regular whole wheat flour for a heartier flavor. The warm cherry sauce is addictive, but I sometimes just serve these pancakes with a dab of good-quality butter and a double dose of maple syrup. And in case you are wondering, I never bother removing the cloves from the sauce because I can never find them.… MAKES 12 PANCAKES, TO SERVE 4
PANCAKES
1 cup medium-coarse stone ground whole grain cornmeal (4 ounces)
½ cup