Belgian waffles

Active: 15 minutes; Total: 30 minutes; Serves: 4

Flour, all-purpose	2 ¼ cups
Baking powder	1 tablespoon
Sugar, granulated	3 tablespoons
Salt	½ teaspoon
Cinnamon	1 teaspoon
Eggs, separated	2 large
Oil, vegetable	½ cup
Milk, whole	2 cups
Vanilla extract	1 teaspoon

1. Preheat your waffle iron (425°F bottom & 450°F top on my panini press), spray with cooking spray; set aside. 
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. 
3. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form; set aside. 
4. In another medium bowl, mix together the egg yolks, oil, milk, and vanilla. 
5. Add the egg yolk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. 
6. Fold in the egg whites; lumps are okay so don’t over do it. 
7. Pour the batter onto your hot waffle iron, and cook according to the manufacturer’s directions, about 4 minutes. 
8. Serve immediately with butter, syrup, powdered sugar, berries, or eat all the crispy bits and skip the rest. 

Recipe adapted from The Salty Marshmallow.

Perfect slow cooker chicken breasts

Salt, cherry wood smoked, finely ground	¼ cup
Sugar	¼ cup
Water, cold	5 cups
Lemon, scrubbed, quartered	1
Lemon juice	2 ½ tablespoons
Chicken breasts, boneless, skinless	2
Oil, extra-virgin olive	3 cups
Garlic	8 cloves
Bay leaves	3
Thyme	2 springs
Rosemary	1 sprig
Peppercorns	½ teaspoon
Salt, kosher	1 ½ teaspoon + ½ teaspoon
Egg	2 large yolks

1. In a large bowl, whisk the water, ¼-cup salt, and sugar until dissolved. 
2. Squeeze and add two of the lemon quarters into the bowl. 
3. Add the chicken, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 6 hours. 
4. Meanwhile, add the oil to a 6-quart slow cooker with the garlic, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, peppercorns, 1 ½-teaspoon salt and the two remaining lemon wedges. 
5. Cover and cook on low until the oil registers 200°F, about 1 hour. 
6. Remove the chicken from the brine, and pat dry; transfer to a plate, and discard the brine. 
7. Using tongs, carefully lower the chicken into the warm oil. 
8. Cover and cook on low until the chicken reads 155°F, about 40 minutes. 
9. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken and garlic to a clean plate. 
10. Using a ladle, transfer 1 cup of the oil to a measuring cup, and let cool 15 minutes; do not use the peppercorns. 
11. In a blender, puree the egg yolks with the juice, half of the cooked garlic cloves, and ½-teaspoon salt until smooth, about 30 seconds. 
12. With the blender one, gradually add the cooled oil until creamy, about 1 minute; season with salt. 
13. Slice the chicken, and serve with the aioli and green salad. 

Recipe mildly adapted from Food&Wine Magazine, January 2017.

Rosemary-tangerine breadsticks with pink salt

Yeast, active dry	¼ ounce
Sugar	1 teaspoon
Water, 110°F	½ cup + ½ cup
Olive oil, extra virgin	¼ cup + Brushing
Flour, bread	11 ¼ ounces +
Flour, semolina	½ cup
Tangerine, zest finely grated	1
Rosemary, fresh, finely chopped	1 ½ teaspoons
Salt, sea, fine	1 teaspoon + Pinch
Egg, lightly beaten	1
Salt, pink Hawaiian Alaea	Sprinkling

1. In a large measuring cup, combine the yeast, sugar, and ½ cup water; stir to dissolve. 
2. Let stand for 10 minutes, or until the yeast mixture forms a frothy head. 
3. Stir in the remaining ½ cup water, and the oil. 
4. In the food processor bowl, combine the flours, zest, rosemary, and sea salt; pulse to combine. 
5. With the motor running, add the yeast mixture through the feed tube in a steady stream; take about 10 seconds to pour it all in. 
6. Process for 10 seconds more, by which time the dough should form a rough mass on the stem.
   If the dough is too wet and forms a mass right away, remove the cover, and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of bread flour on the dough.
   If the dough is too dry and has not formed a ball on the stem within 15 seconds, sprinkle with 1 to 2 teaspoons of water. 
7. Process for 10 seconds more. 
8. Let stand with the cover, and rest for 20 minutes. 
9. Generously oil a rimmed baking sheet. 
10. Begin stretching, pushing, and pulling the dough with your fingertips and the heel of your hand into a 8-by-12-inch rectangle.
    This will take a little while—the dough will be tight at first, so give it a chance to relax. 
11. Transfer the dough to the baking sheet, and brush the top with oil. 
12. Cover with a plastic bag, and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free area for about 45 minutes, or until puffy. 
13. Preheat the oven to 400°F; ensure a rack is in the middle. 
14. Transfer the dough to an unfloured cutting board, and cut it crosswise into four equal sections. 
15. Cut each section crosswise into eight little strips, and roll each one under the palm of your hands into a thin rope about 12 inches long. 
16. Transfer to the oiled baking sheet, forming curlicues, if desired. 
17. Beat the egg with a pinch of salt, and brush. Sprinkle with pink salt. 
18. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until slightly golden.
    Do this in batches, if necessary, keeping the unrolled strips covered, and rolling them out just before baking. 
19. Serve warm with a little dish of your best extra-virgin olive oil. 

Recipe adapted from The New Wine Country Cookbook by Brigit Binns.