Georgia Grits and Bits Pancake

In two short years, Dave and I will be empty nesters. In preparation for that time, we've started taking days off together to rediscover our interests as a couple.

On our most recent day off, we started our morning with a delightful breakfast at the Zingerman's Roadhouse. I'd read Jane and Michael Stern's rave review of their breakfast there, and we were especially dying to taste the Biscuits with Chocolate Gravy and Bacon.

We split that as a starter, and then split the Georgia Grits and Bits Waffle. The biscuits were absolutely delicious - the chocolate "gravy" wasn't overly sweet, and the salty bite of the bacon was a great counterbalance to the chocolate, but what we really flipped over was the Georgia Grits and Bits Waffle.

If you haven't tasted it, the Georgia Grits and Bits Waffle is a creamy, rich, cheesy cloud of grits enclosed by a crisp waffle outside, bits of perfect bacon and sharp cheddar cheese, and covered with some of the best maple syrup I've ever tasted. It is one of those meals where each time we take a bite, we say, "Mmmmmm...."

Now, while there are many reasons to go to the Roadhouse - the fabulous service, the wide menu, the mellow and lovely vibe on an early weekday morning, supporting a great local business - this is not something we can do as a frequent pleasure (both for work and monetary reasons), and waffles are only a pleasure we eat out, as they tend to call for a lot more oil/butter than pancakes do.

But, wow, those waffles were good, and I had a feeling they wouldn't be too hard to copycat.

So Saturday I did some research and found this recipe on Wuthering Bites, which in turn was taken from The Rustic Table Cookbook. The recipe itself had a bit too much (okay, way too much) fat, and it also was missing the cheesy and bacony goodness of the Zingerman's Georgia Grits and Bits Waffles, so here was my final product:

Jen's Copycat Georgia Grits and Bits Pancakes (Waffles)

Ingredients:

2 cups water 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup quick-cooking (not instant) grits 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 chunks 3/4 cup cold lowfat buttermilk 2 large eggs, separated 2 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, cut into small pieces 1 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, grated 4 slices of good bacon (I used Ernst Farms bacon) cooked to taste, chopped into small pieces

Maple syrup for serving

Directions:

1. Combine the water and the salt in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the grits; reduce the heat as low as possible and cook, stirring occasionally, until the grits are very soft and creamy, 10 minutes

2. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Make a well in the center.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cold butter to the hot grits, stirring until it is melted and well incorporated. Stir in the buttermilk, then the egg yolks. Transfer the grits mixture to the well of the dry ingredients and stir lightly, just until incorporated.

4. Stir in the chopped cheese and half the chopped bacon.

5. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, and then fold the egg whites into the batter until just incorporated. This will help to make the pancakes (or waffles) lighter.

6. Preheat a griddle or frying pan to medium/medium high and grease with either neutral oil (such as canola), butter or cooking spray. If you're making waffles, preheat your waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions.

7. For pancakes, cook about 3 minutes on each side, then top with bacon crumbles and the shredded cheddar. For waffles, cook according to manufacturer's directions, and then top with the bacon crumbles and shredded cheddar.

Serve with maple syrup (and butter, if you must). Makes 18, 1/4 cup pancakes or 6 waffles. Serves 6. Nutrition Info:

Servings Per Recipe: 6 Serving Size: 1 serving

Amount Per Serving Calories 320.7 Total Fat 16.4 g Saturated Fat 9.0 g Polyunsaturated Fat 1.0 g Monounsaturated Fat 5.2 g Cholesterol 111.0 mg Sodium 433.0 mg Potassium 147.5 mg Total Carbohydrate 30.3 g Dietary Fiber 0.8 g Sugars 3.7 g Protein 12.4 g

Nutrition information supplied by the recipe calculator at sparkrecipes.com.

All photos by Jennifer Shikes Haines.

I'm Jennifer Shikes Haines and my blog is a2eatwrite. Please contact me at: Jenshaines at gmail dot com.