It just works.
Did you catch it? Yeah, I need a coffee refill.
Some flavor profiles just work. Tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella - for instance - are wonderful whether as a salad, topping pizza and pasta or atop chicken, veal or sausage in a crusty Italian roll.
Lemon and poppyseed are the same. From poundcake and muffins to coffeecakes and pancakes they are always delicious. No great surprise then that they would be the perfect combination in a waffle.
The surprises here are how light these waffles come out - even without the added effort of whipping the egg whites to soft peaks - and how the cornmeal gives the outside a crisp, crunch. The true delight comes from the fennel honey butter and how it transforms the flavor of the lemon and the poppyseeds. Maybe we should try adding it to those muffins...
Lemon poppyseed ricotta waffles
Serves 4-6
Moist, lemony, rich, with a little crunch from the poppyseeds and cornstarch. The fennel honey butter - just melt them together - is the real star, transforming the flavor of the lemon and poppyseeds. It's just the right amount of everything and not too much of anything.
Dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs poppyseeds
Wet ingredients:
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup whole milk
2/3 cups melted butter
1 tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
Zest from 2 lemons
4 tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice
For honey butter:
3/4 cups butter
1/3 cup honey
1/4 tsp ground fennel
Directions:
Make waffle batter: Mix dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Mix wet ingredients together in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Do not over mix. It’s okay if there are a few streaks of flour. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Make honey butter: combine butter, honey and fennel in a small saucepan. Melt butter over medium-heat and stir together. Keep warm over low heat while cooking waffles.
Cook waffles: Cook in waffle maker according to directions. These are wet so cook until well browned. Serve immediately or keep warm directly on the racks of an oven set at warm or 200 F.
