I have discovered that when it comes to bacon I am lazy; I don't want to babysit it in my cast iron pan so I pop them on a foil lined sheet pan with a steel rack and pop it in the oven for 20-25 min at 375F (roughly...if you have thick cut bacon it may take longer; also Dan likes SUPER crispy bacon so I let it go until it's pre-char.
For maple bacon mix some maple syrup (grade B works well here) with a splash of dijon (so that it adheres better and gives a bit of bite); pop the bacon in the oven for 5 minutes to head up a bit and then baste the bacon with the maple/mustard mixture; flip it after 10-15minutes and coat the other side.
I'm a pancake kinda gal myself but Dan (and my mom) love waffles, so on a weekend when we're expecting a hurricane I figure a big brunch of waffles and bacon is fitting...no?
Rich Buttermilk Waffles
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen who adapted it from How to Cook Everything, Mark Bittman
->2 cups all-purpose flour
->1/2 teaspoon salt
->2 tablespoons sugar
->1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
->1 3/4 cups buttermilk* or 1 1/2 cups sour cream or plain yogurt thinned with 1/4 cup milk
->2 eggs, separated
->4 tablespoons (1/2 stick butter, melted and cooled)
->1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
->can of Product of Arthur Meyerhoff (aka PAM...yes that is what it really stands for)
Directions:
1. Combine the dry ingredients. Mix together the buttermilk, sour cream and egg yolks. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla bean paste; you can use vanilla extract of course...I just like the flecks of vanilla bean that the paste gives.
2. Spray your waffle iron with PAM. Heat iron according to manufacturers directions.
3. Return to your batter; stir the wet into the dry ingredients.
4. Beat the egg whites with the whisk or electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. (NOTE: a trick to get the best foam from your egg whites 1. make sure the whites are at room temp. 2. make sure that you use a super clean bowl...even a trace of yolk will coat the proteins in the whites and prevent them from foaming properly.
5. Fold gently into the batter.
6. Ladle batter onto the waffle iron and bake until the waffle is done, usually 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the style of iron.
7. Serve immediately or keep warm for a few minutes in a low oven.
* NOTE: The buttermilk can be substituted with 1 1/4 cups of milk at room temperature, mixed with two tablespoons white vinegar, left to clabber for 10 minutes; however, this will not be as good as buttermilk. I'm not talking about "cultured buttermilk" that you often find at the local wal-mart...true buttermilk made from the milk left over from the production of butter (Kate's brand is available here in the NE) just fyi...put it on your list to add to your fridge...it pretty much lasts A WHILE due to the acid content.
