Tuesday, July 21, 2009

BlackBean Waffles with Tomatoes, Chiles, and Eggs

I started with a Michael Chiarello recipe and took it in a whole Bobby Flay direction. I hope they don’t mind. You see, the other day on Twitter, Chef Chiarello posted a link to what he prepared that day on the CBS Early Show, and that was white bean waffles with heirloom tomatoes and olive oil basted eggs. I thought it sounded great, and then I remembered the leftover black beans in my freezer. I started mentally re-engineering this into a southwestern-influenced dish. I have to explain right up front that although this is a savory waffle, the flavor isn’t beany. The beans are pureed into the batter and lend a nice texture while not affecting the taste in any negative or even noticeable way. The original dish was suggested as breakfast for dinner, but I served it as breakfast for brunch.

I also cut the recipe in half and still ended up with enough waffles to store some in the freezer for a future use. To begin, I weighed out 15 ounces of thawed, fully cooked, black beans. I brought them to a boil with a half cup of water, a big pinch of cumin, a smaller pinch of cayenne, and a generous sprinkling of ancho powder which made me think of Bobby Flay. The beans simmered for a few minutes, and then they were removed from the heat and allowed to cool. Once cool, they were blended with eggs, milk, and olive oil. That blended mixture was whisked into flour, baking powder, and salt. Then, waffle production began. I always let just enough time pass between waffle preps that I forget if it’s five minutes, six minutes, or seven minutes. Five is definitely not quite long enough to get a nice toasty surface on both sides. Six is ok, but seven seems to be just right for my machine. Once the waffles were finished and placed in a warm oven to wait, I fried some eggs as suggested in the recipe. Chopped chiles were added to olive oil in a saute pan, the eggs were placed in the hot pan, and the oil was used to baste the egg whites as they cooked.

To finish the dish, I strayed again from the Italian flavors intended. I left out the prosciutto and used cotija cheese and some crema instead. The waffles were topped with the eggs, a mix of chopped fresh yellow tomatoes, red cherry tomatoes, sliced red and green serrano chiles, and some cilantro. A nice, runny egg provides a sauce of sorts, and the fresh, juicy tomatoes and crema work in that way as well. It was a plate full of contrasting textures and colors. Of course, the waffles didn’t turn out at all black from the beans, but I wondered if their color would have been more interesting if I had used some blue corn meal. I’ll try that next time. I’m always a fan of spicy toppings with eggs, but this melange was above and beyond my usual southwestern breakfast fare.




35 comments:

  1. This looks amazing. Now I want to buy a waffle iron. Finally.

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  2. This looks delicious. Never would have thought of this in a million years but what a fantastic breakfast idea.

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  3. Looks great! I love the twists you gave this breakfast :D YUM!

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  4. I have a waffle iron, but haven't used it for ages......

    This is a luxurious breakfast!
    Angie's Recipes

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  5. I wish I had a waffle iron, too. This would be a perfect healthy breakfast!!

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  6. does this come with a hammock and my blanky....wow this looks great!

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  7. Oh my gosh Lisa, I want to have breakfast like this everyday... Look so irresistible.

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  8. This sounds amazing! I love the idea of a savory waffle.

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  9. I love savory waffles. This would make such a great brunch item for a crowd.

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  10. Absolutely brilliant. I have never liked waffles because I am much more of a savory person - waffles, pancakes, etc are just too sweet for me. In a million years I would never have come up with this idea but it looks amazing!

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  11. How creative - I love it! The black beans make the waffles a bit more healthy too and all the flavors sound incredible together - yum!

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  12. Savory waffles...yum. This trumps any syrup laden concoction. The black bean waffle idea is a good one.

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  13. Oh my! This is the best savory breakfast ive ever seen! Love the bean waffle idea!

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  14. How delicious! I love the southwestern twist on this!

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  15. Black bean w. waffles?! Never even thought of that! Yummy!

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  16. holy cow, you've outdone yourself once again with these gorgeous waffles! Black beans! Who would have thought!

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  17. I would love to try these waffles. I have seen a couple of recipe incorporating black beans in the batter and I just think it is such a wonderful idea!

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  18. This looks good. I'm used to waffles with something sweet and this is totally different. I love it.

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  19. lisa! this is incredible! of all the food network chefs, i enjoy bobby's tastes most of all, and i think he'd want to snatch this creation up and call it his own! seriously good stuff.

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  20. That is an original dish! What a tasty meal!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  21. I think this would be the perfect Midnight meal too! Looks delicious - just great ideas you have.

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  22. Black bean waffle? Wow! You are so creative! Hmmmm...just wonder what how will it look if I use red bean. This is such a wholesome breakfast to me. ;)

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  23. Wow! This has to be, hands down, the most creative breakfast idea I have ever seen! Great job!

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  24. I love savory waffles, they make a nice break from the sweet kind not that I'd ever turn down an offer of sweet homemade waffles - not me!

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  25. wow. this is a brilliant twist on the mexican breakfast paradigm. It incorporates what we usually think of as sweet into the savory. My problem with waffles is that I love them but can't eat the whole thing (too sweet). Here there is the bst of both worlds n a succinct dish.

    very impressed

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  26. Wow, waffles, I was in Brussels last week but did not get round to have a Belgium waffle there (no room in my stomach). I guess I need to buy one waffle iron too one day. Your topping is very special and a savoury one makes a great b'fast.

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  27. wow, those look delicious! i love waffles and i'd never have thought to make them savory.

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  28. Lisa, this is completely new to me. Waffles with beans?? I've never seen it, but it really looks and sounds good. Thank your for sharing and opening my mind to new things :)

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  29. This is the biggest twist on waffles I have ever seen. Very nicely done.

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  30. Normally, I'd prefer berries and maple syrup on my waffles. But black bean ones done up like eggs ranchero definitely gets me salivating.

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  31. Never in life thought of waffles with beans! what an unique idea. I wish someone cooked & served me this breakfast on a weekend.

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  32. What a beautiful breakfast, I'm impressed.

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  33. This is an awesome breakfast lunch or dinner! I love the black bean waffles!

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  34. Love it: starting with Michael Chiarello and taking it in a Bobby Flay direction! That sums up these waffles perfectly. 8-)

    You've combined two of my favorite foods that I wouldn't have consider together. My husband prefers a savory breakfast while I've always been a griddle gal - this just might bring breakfast harmony to the Noodle household!

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  35. I saw Michael make his waffles on The Early Show and have saved his recipe. Your version looks even better. I'll be trying it soon!

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