I can't help myself around fresh produce. I even lied to Patrick about buying tomatoes at the Tasty Tomato Festival. I told him that someone gave me a big sack of tomatoes. I left out that I was given the tomatoes ... in exchange for five dollars. But look, I got 14 heirloom tomatoes for $5! Passing that up would have been a crime. But now I have too many tomatoes and need to find a way to use them quickly.
Some of them I could tell needed to be used pretty much immediately, and the two softest purple ones I set aside for this tomato coulis. Coulis is a thin pureed fruit or vegetable sauce, but I didn't (ok, forgot, got hungry, it smelled so good) puree mine for this meal and still quite enjoyed it. This was a fantastically timed meal because while the coulis was cooking down, I was working on the waffles. A towel and a ride sitting in the microwave preserved their heat while subsequent waffles cooked, making this the kind of breakfast-for-dinner that you could have without it even seeming like breakfast thanks to the hearty, savory flavors.
I used Congaree Milling Company cornmeal in this, making it an ultralocal meal since they mill right in the Rosewood neighborhood around the corner from City Roots, where the tomato festival was held.
Cheddar Cornmeal Waffles with Cherokee Purple Tomato Coulis
Equipment
- Waffle maker
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- ¾ cup milk
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ½ tbsp melted butter
- ¾ cup cornmeal
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ cup cheddar finely grated
- 1 scallion finely chopped
- cooking spray
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ⅓ cup white onion finely diced
- 1 tbsp garlic finely minced
- ½ cup pinot Grigio or other dry white wine
- 2-3 medium Cherokee purple tomatoes or sub in a can of petite diced tomatoes
- 1-2 shakes dried thyme, basil, and oregano
- salt to taste
Instructions
For the coulis:
- If using fresh tomatoes: Fill a large saucepan big enough to hold the two or three tomatoes halfway with water. Bring to a boil. Fill a separate large bowl with ice water and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the onion and garlic. Stir and heat for two minutes.
- Add the white wine and dried herbs and bring heat to medium high. Let reduce for five minutes.
- While the wine is reducing, if using the fresh tomatoes, the water should be boiling by now. Gently place the whole tomatoes in the pot and boil for only one minute. Remove from heat with a slotted spoon or rubber tongs and place directly into the iced water.
- Dry off the tomatoes and score an X into the bottoms with a knife. Peel the skin off and discard. Use the knife to remove the flesh from the core, remove the seeds, and chop the remaining tomato into small pieces.
- Add the chopped tomatoes (whether freshly cut or canned) to the white wine mixture.
- Turn the heat to medium low and cook for 25-35 minutes. The texture should be like a thick, glossy sauce. Salt to taste. Puree if you like a pure coulis, which is a blended sauce with no chunks.
For the waffles:
- With a fork, mix the egg, milk, sour cream, and butter together in a mixing bowl.
- Add in the cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder to the bowl and continue mixing with the fork until just combined.
- Add the cheddar and scallions. Mix a little more, just until combined.
- Start heating up your waffle iron according to manufacturer directions. Spray with cooking spray.
- Pour the batter into the waffle iron in whatever amount you desire. Two big waffles, three medium, or 4-6 smaller ones should be about what this batter can get you. Set aside as each is made and cover with a towel and place in the (not on) microwave if desired to maintain heat.
- To serve with the coulis, spoon some over each waffle, grate additional cheddar on top, and scatter with more finely chopped scallions.
How about them tasty tomatoes?
