In Which the Waffle Ventures into Cream Puff Land

The interior of a perfect cream puff shell is webbed with (just a few) moist eggy fibers, which the baker plucks away when she goes to ladle in the pastry cream. These delicate, rich dough tendrils are among the finer perquisites of baking, much like streusel crumbles, beaters coated with fluffy egg whites, and, of course, cookie dough.* So imagine my delight when this morning I bit into a waffle and found it not cakey and bready, but chewy, moist and eggy! I didn't make the cream-puff-fiber connection till I'd topped the waffle with a good dollop of whipped cream and raspberries and realized I was eating my favorite crusty fluff.

The key? A quart of sour cream. W. Crawford sifted 2 c. flour, 2.5 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp. salt, 2 tsp. sugar, and 2 tsp. baking soda. R. beat 6 egg whites till frothy, and I started whisking up 1 c. heavy whipping cream with a tablespoon of honey and a teaspoon of vanilla. Then Crawford beat the egg yolks and incorporated them into the flour, followed by a quart of thick, cultured sour cream and the whites, gently folded in. Cook the way your waffle iron dictates. This morning's condiments were raspberries, the whipped cream, more honey, and maple syrup.

*Don't under any circumstances consume raw eggs. Real people do get salmonella! There was this girl once who thought it was so hot to drink from her stream. But the streams in Rockingham County are the most polluted in the whole state of Virginia, what with all the farmers putting chicken shit on their fields so the grass grows tall and the cows get fat and poop in the streams. She was sick forever -- and your cookie dough is just like those streams! I recommend shortbread cookie dough if you don't want salmonella.