Grilled Cheese Wafflewiches

It took me a while to broaden my breakfast horizon beyond pancakes. I dedicated loads of time to perfecting the pancake recipe, and once that was settled, I had a grand old time experimenting with variations. Pancakes were a great building block for all sorts of lunchboxes for my kids. In general, I thought we were chugging along just fine.  

And then one day, my older daughter discovered not one, but two waffle irons in the back of a kitchen cabinet that rarely sees the light of day. She looked up a recipe and promptly made breakfast for all of us. The kids were elated. From there, we spent several weekend mornings testing out various waffle recipes and building our freezer stash for lunchboxes. A sea change was in the air. 

I yearned for waffles, and I wanted them savory. After lots of recipe fails, I figured out that the key to crispy waffles was the addition of corn starch, and in fact, waffles aren't just pancakes with abs. With that little bit of knowledge under my belt, and many rounds of recipe testing, I created our family's favorite savory waffle recipe. They're slightly salty, with a hint of bold flavor, all nestled within the comfort and reliability that you'd want from waffles. These savory waffles are the perfect canvas for all sorts of toppings, but hands down, our favorite is a simple grilled cheese wafflewich. Crispy outsides, gooey insides. This is the stuff of dreams!

Grilled cheese is a staple in so many homes, and this recipe elevates that concept and makes it perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. This recipe was created in partnership with TheFeedfeed and Land O Lakes® and it quickly became a staple in my home. I use Land O Lakes® Deli American cheese because it melts beautifully, and it's creamy deliciousness brings me back to my own childhood. My mom used to make open-faced grilled cheese sandwiches with Land O Lakes® Deli American in the toaster oven and heat them until big brown bubbles formed on top. Those bubbles were absolutely magical. They still are. For breakfast, we serve these waffles open-faced with that same toasted bubble, but when it comes to the lunchbox, we're all about the closed face wafflewich. 

Grilled cheese wafflewich

Making grilled cheese wafflewiches for my kids is both a celebration of new discoveries, and a nod to my past. They're easy to eat, delicious and my kids dig them hot and melty, or cold from the fridge. Here's what else I love about them: Land O Lakes® Deli American cheese is available at pretty much every deli counter near me, so it's reliably easy to find, and always sliced fresh. These days, I can send my 12 year old out to buy it, and the only thing I don't know in advance is whether she will pick up yellow or white (which by the way, is a heated debate in my house, but that's a story for another day). 

grilled cheese Wafflewiches 

Ingredients

20 (3/4 ounce) slices of Land O Lakes® Deli American cheese
1 cup flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons chopped chives
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Preheat the waffle iron and the oven to 200 degrees F. In a medium sized bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients.

2. In a separate bowl, add the chives, buttermilk and eggs and whisk together until just combined. Whisk in the melted (and cooled) butter and grated parmesan.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, making sure that everything is fully mixed.

4. When the waffle iron is hot, pour about 1/4 cup of batter to create each waffle (may change depending on your waffle iron). Close the waffle iron and cook for approximately 3 minutes, or until the steam stops spraying out of the sides.

5. Use a spatula or your fingers to remove the waffle and repeat until the batter is finished.

6. Place the waffles on a rack and place that rack in the oven to stay warm and crispy.

7. When you have finished using all of the batter, remove the waffles from the oven and heat the oven to broil.

8. Lay out the waffles on a cookie sheet. Place 2-3 slices of Land O Lakes® Deli American cheese (3/4 ounce each) on each of the waffles, making sure to drape them over the edge slightly. Place under the broiler for approximately 1-2 minutes or until the cheese has completely melted. Alternate method: place the sliced cheese on top of each waffle just after it finishes cooking. Create a pressed wafflewich by placing a waffle on top and closing the lid. Slice each wafflewich into 4 equal squares, or serve whole.

Makes 5 full wafflewiches. I typically cut these into quarters. 

My favorite part about these Savory Wafflewiches? Definitely the fact that my dairy-eating kids love to pack them for lunch! If you make this recipe, share it on Instagram and be sure to tag #lalalunchbox #Feedfeed and #LandOLakes 

*Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Land O Lakes® and TheFeedfeed. All opinions are my own.

Tomato Tarte Tatin with Caramelized Onions

summer sungold tomatoes

Brunch was always something I looked forward to at the home of our longtime family friends, Rachel and Yehuda.  Their easy company and Rachel's delicious cooking guaranteed a lovely afternoon. They entertained gracefully and graciously and Rachel had a knack for finding great recipes. She had a knowledgeable palate, and could recreate dishes that she loved in restaurants or read in print seemingly effortlessly. After coming across a recipe for Tomato Tarte Tatin from Melissa Clarke in the New York Times, she decided to give it a try. It immediately became one of her favorite dishes.

When Rachel passed away recently from ovarian cancer, the world lost one of it's kindest people. Yehuda and their children planned a celebration of her life, as a way for her loved ones to gather together and collectively remember all of the joy that Rachel brought to them over the years. Yehuda reached out to some folks, including me, and asked us to bring some of Rachel's favorite dishes with recipes that he provided. I was asked to make the Tomato Tarte Tatin. Admittedly, I was nervous. I intended to make at least one as a trial run, but time slipped away from me. 

On the day of the celebration, I kept thinking of something my grandma used to say about never bringing something you've never made before to a dinner party. Gulp. And because this tarte is fully contained in puff pastry, I wasn't able to taste it ahead of time. But wow did it smell delicious! It seemed promising.

When I arrived, I was struck. There were photos everywhere of Rachel (and her loved ones). They told a powerful story of a humble, wise, happy woman who traveled, spent time with people she cared about, danced, cooked, worked and raised kids. It was an eye opening way to mourn and to celebrate the life of those who we've lost. 

One other person was asked to make the tarte, so if mine was a complete fail, at least there was a different version available. The evening was bittersweet, as you can imagine, and as it turned out, my tarte was delicious! And so was the other version! Simple, yet sophisticated flavor. I wanted to eat it forever. 

Today I remember and honor Rachel's memory regularly by making this tarte. I've adapted the recipe slightly and have gotten it to a place that feels absolutely right for us. This is the dish that I bring to potluck dinners. This is the dish that I bring to brunch. This is the dish that I make for guests. And I think Rachel would be absolutely delighted by that (as would my grandma, knowing that I'm representing with a known quantity of deliciousness). It's also gorgeous to look at, particularly if you buy mixed colored tomatoes. It's an inverted dish, so once it's done cooking, you flip it over onto a serving plate and the bottom becomes the top. I got a little fancy with it a few times and used leftover puff pastry dough to decorate the top. It can be a fun reveal if you present both sides, but that's not necessary. While this tarte is best to make in summer when cherry and grape tomatoes are at their peak, it is perfect any time of year. 

Ingredients

• 1 14-ounce package all-butter puff pastry
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 red onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons + 1 pinch sugar
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 1/3 cup chopped pitted Kalamata olives
• 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves plus extra for garnish
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Thaw the puff pastry until it's still chilly, but not frozen. Unfold it and cut into a 10-inch round. Save the scraps if you want to decorate the top/bottom. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and a pinch of sugar and cook, stirring, until onions are golden and caramelized, 20 - 25 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons water and let cook off, scraping brown bits from bottom of pan. Transfer onions to a bowl and set aside.

In a sauce pan, combine 2 tablespoons sugar and 3 tablespoons water. Cook over medium heat and swirl pan gently without stirring until sugar melts and turns amber, about 10 minutes. Add vinegar and swirl gently. Turn off heat. 

Pour the sugar, water and vinegar caramel into a 9 inch cake pan. Sprinkle olives over caramel. Add the tomatoes over olives, then spread the onions on top. Season with thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Top with puff pastry round, tucking edges into pan. Cut several long vents in top of pastry to let the steam out during the cooking process.

Bake tarte until the crust is puffed and golden, about 35 minutes. Let stand for 5-10 minutes, then run a knife around pastry to loosen it from pan, and flip tart out onto a serving platter. Garnish with thyme leaves and serve warm.