Homemade Waffles

prep: 10 minutes
cook: follow waffle griddle directions

makes about 6 waffles

you’ll need…
2 eggs
1 cup milk
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 ½ cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt

let’s get to it…
Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Mix in the milk and oil.
Stir in the flour, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt until well blended.
Heat the waffle griddle according to manufacturer’s directions. Lightly spray on non-stick spray if needed.
Pour batter onto waffle griddle. Close lid and bake according to manufacturer’s directions or until the waffle griddle stops steaming. Waffles are ready when they are crisp and brown.

cooking know how:
Put frozen waffles directly in a toaster and cook until warm throughout. Alternatively, place the waffles on a baking sheet in a 325°F oven and heat until warm throughout, 5 to 6 minutes.

Banana and Toffee Ice Cream Pie

prep: 1 hour
cook: 30 minutes
bake: 10 minutes
freeze: 4-5 hours

makes one 9-inch pie

for the ice cream you’ll need…
3 ripe bananas
2 cups whole milk, divided
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon conrnstarch
3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
⅛ teaspoon sea salt
1¼ cups heavy cream
⅔ cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces chopped English toffee, divided

for the pie crust you’ll need…
1¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch slices
1/4 cup cold solid vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
2 tablespoons cold vodka
2 tablespoons cold water

let’s get to it…
Puree the bananas in a food processor or blender until smooth; set aside.
Whisk 2 tablespoons milk and the cornstarch in small bowl; set aside. In medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese and salt until smooth; set aside. Fill a large bowl ice and water.
Boil the remaining milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup and vanilla in a large saucepan on medium high heat for 4-minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the milk and cornstarch mixture. Return to heat and boil for 1 minute until slightly thickened. Remove from heat.
Whisk the hot mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Whisk in the pureed bananas. Pour mixture into a 1-gallon Ziploc freezer bag and seal tightly. Submerge into the ice and water and chill 30 minutes to 45 minutes.
Pour the chilled mixture into a frozen ice cream canister or machine and spin until thick and creamy. When thick and creamy, stir in half of the chopped English toffee. Spoon ice cream into a storage container, press a piece of parchment paper directly on the ice cream and freeze for at least 4 hours.
Mix half the flour and salt in a food processor for 2-seconds. Add the butter and shortening and pulse about 10 to 15 times or until dough looks like cottage cheese and there is no loose flour; scrape bowl. Add remaining flour and pulse 5 or 6 times.
Remove dough from food processor and place in a medium bowl. Sprinkle vodka and water over dough and fold until dough sticks together and all liquid is absorbed. Flatten dough into a 4-inch disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. (You’ll still be able to see little pieces of butter in the dough).
Move oven rack to the second lowest position. Heat oven to 450°F.
Dust rolling pin and work surface with flour. Remove dough disk from refrigerator. Roll dough in a circle to a uniform thickness (about ⅛-to-¼-inch thick), about 1-inch larger than an upside down 9-inch pie pan (or individual pie plates if using). Place rolled-out dough into pan and press gently into form of plate. Use excess dough to mend any sports or holes in dough. Prick the bottom and sides of the dough so you can “blind bake” the crust.*
Bake for 1o minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes.
Spoon ice cream onto cooled pie crust. Top with remaining chopped English Toffee. Return to freezer for 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

*Blind baking, also called pre-baking, is baking a crust without the filling. You do this when the filling has a shorter bake time than the crust. Also helps the crust from becoming soggy. You can prick the bottom and sides of the crust so it keeps its shape during baking. A better idea is to line the unbaked pie crust with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie-weights. Dried beans or lentils work well, too.

Live Lobster Cooking Directions
prep: 5 minutes
cook: depends on the weight of the lobster

you’ll need…
4 live lobsters
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 bay leaves
2 teaspoons salt for each quart of water

serves 8, 1½ lobster each

let’s get to it…
Fill a large stock pot with enough water to cover the lobsters;  add the spices to the water. (If you don’t have a pot large enough to cook them all at the same time, you’ll have to cook them in batches.) Bring the water to a boil.
Hold the upper body of the lobster firmly and clip the rubber bands off the claws. Place it (don’t throw it!) in the boiling seasoned water, head first. Cover. Make sure the water returns to a boil.
Cook according to the weight of the lobster. The lobsters are cooked when the shell turns red, the tail is curled and an antenna comes out easily. Don’t overcook or they’ll be chewy!

• 1 lb. – 5 to 7 minutes
• 1¼ lb. – 8 to 10 minutes
• 1½ lb. – 10 to 12 minutes
• 2 lbs. – 12 to 15 minutes

Lift the cooked lobsters out of the water and cool enough to handle.
Twist off the claws and crack with a hammer or nutcracker to remove the meat.
Gently pull the tail from the body. Cut the cartilage on the tail with scissors and remove the meat.
Cut down the center of the body with a sharp knife or scissors and pick through to remove any remaining meat.
Serve with lemon and melted butter.

Churros

prep: 20 minutes
cook: 3 to 4 minutes

you’ll need…
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
8 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
oil for frying

let’s get to it…
Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl; set aside. Line a baking sheet with paper towels; set aside.
Heat the water, butter and salt in a medium saucepan on medium-high heat until the water boils and the butter melts; remove from heat.
Add the flour all at once and stir until the dough forms a ball.
Stir the vanilla into the dough and then add the eggs one at a time until the mixture is glossy (I used an electric stand mixer to make the job go faster).
Spoon the dough into a pastry bag with a star tip or use a Ziploc® Brand Freezer Bag. If using a Ziploc® bag, push the dough into one corner, squeeze out the air, seal and cut off a ½-inch tip from the bag’s corner; refrigerate until ready to use.
Pour the oil in a deep heavy skillet (about 1-inch) and heat on medium high until the oil reaches 350°F to 375°F. Carefully pipe the dough into the oil, forming long thin batons or circled crullers. Don’t crowd the pan!
Fry, turning once, until golden brown on each side. Remove from oil using tongs and drain on prepared baking sheet lined with paper towels. Sprinkle immediately with the sugar and cinnamon mixture and serve immediately while hot.