Pancetta is my friend

Pancetta is my friend

• 10.27.2011

Several several several weeks ago I wrote about some of my favorite moments of the summer.... and that included Hurricane Waffles. I actually can't believe Hurricane Waffles was like a lifetime ago. Time flies when you're having fun... or perhaps just when you're flying.

Hurricane Waffles were inspired by this Cupcakes and Cashmere post that I stumbled upon. I'm a sucker for bacon-ish products and I happen to know how salty delicious pancetta is... so this seemed like a clear winner.

The recipe is simple enough... except one thing that makes it awesome is also my nemesis .... whipped egg whites. Yes, they are back. I'd say this effort to "gently fold" in the egg whites went about as well as the last time.

 

In general, the pancetta peach waffles went off without a hitch. There was a slight issue learning how much batter was required to fill the waffle maker without overfilling .... but that's the nature of the waffle beast. 

Now for some steps on how to make this happen...

Shopping List (tweaked from this recipe)
2 2/3 cups flour
8 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 cup butter, melted
3 1/2 cups milk
Package of Pancetta (from the fancy meats section of your grocery store)
As many peaches as you want   

1. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a big bowl (trust me on this).
2. Separate the eggs and add the yolks to the dry mixture. After blended, add the milk and butter to this mixture as well.
3. Turn on your skillet or pan or whatever you want, and crisp up that pancetta. This doesn't take a long time. If you get the pancetta circles, don't waste your time cutting it up since you can break it apart after its crispy.
4. For the egg whites, whip those suckers until they have stiff peaks-ish. Try and be more patient than I was. After you've got some stiff peaks fold the "peaks" into the other mixture.
5. Now that you have your waffle mixture... spoon some of that into your hot waffle iron business. Sprinkle the pancetta on top.
6. And. Done.

Basically at least. 

If you manage to wait until the waffle is cooked, you will be rewarded with a tasty wonderful breakfast. 

Sidenote: I made a variation of this again this past weekend. Although I cheated... big time. I pretty much just wanted pancetta and syrup so I followed the Bisquick waffle recipe. Instead of using oil, I just put in a stick of butter. Makes sense right?

Whatever. The only person that had both batches besides me, my mom, said that she might have liked the Bisquick one better. I think she was just being nice... but the Bisquick one was quite delish.