buttermilk waffles with blueberry mint compote

One thing I discovered about myself since T and I have been married is that I LOVE a good waffle.  Usually, I’m more of a savory breakfast kind of person.  Turns out though, my love for waffles may run as deep as Leslie Knope’s love for waffles.  One of the best wedding gifts we received, that we didn’t register for, was a fancy, shmancy, Waring Belgian Waffle Maker.  Tyler’s dad introduced us to this recipe for buttermilk waffles that is to die for.  It comes from the All-Clad recipe booklet that came with his All-Clad waffle iron.

The Best Buttermilk Waffles

3 eggs, separated
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
1 stick of butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar

In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar together. Combine and set aside.

In a larger bowl, whisk the egg yolks.  Then, whisk in the buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients; whisk together until smooth.

In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to bring the egg whites to a stiff peak.

Carefully fold the egg whites into the batter using a rubber spatula.

Pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the waffle iron and cook until golden brown.  We melt a small pad of butter on the iron before placing the batter in it for that little extra crisp!  Serve hot, with a delicious cup of coffee, and you’ve got yourself a great morning.

Summer is amazing because you can find delicious fruit for insanely cheap!  For this batch of waffles, we had a TON of blueberries, so we threw some into the mix.

To top it off, we grabbed some fresh mint from the garden and simmered down some blueberries to make a compote.

Blueberry Mint Compote with Orange Liqueur 

2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup sugar (if your blueberries are ripe and sweet, use less and add sugar to taste)
2 tablespoons orange liqueur
orange zest
5 or so mint leaves, torn into small pieces

Combine all ingredients into a small sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Simmer for a couple minutes until the liquid thickens.  Slather on top of those waffles!