Gluten Free Cheddar and Polenta Waffle Sandwich

I just realized that it has been months since I've written about anything that wasn't cake or dessert related, and while even my blog name has "cake" in it, a girl's gotta eat too, no matter how busy things get. Last week I dropped by a friend's house with a bag of groceries and I waited on the doorstep until she came home, tired and starving from a long hard day at work. Once inside, she poured us two glasses of wine and told me about the crappy day she had while I heated up the waffle iron and mixed up the batter. This is the fastest breakfast/lunch/dinner idea ever and we were sitting down and catching up (ahem...venting) before you could say "Can I get a refill on the wine?"

It went so well that I had to make them again when my cousin and my sister came by for breakfast. Okay, by the time they got going it was lunch, but this would have worked for either meal. I also made dessert waffles, but I have a feeling they need more work before I can share them with you. As for these, I'm told they freeze really well and can be reheated in a toaster, but I've made them twice now and I have no leftovers to speak of, so I can neither confirm or deny that claim.

 

Gluten Free Cheddar and Polenta Waffle Sandwich
Adapted from Joy the Baker, who in turn adapted it from Lena Kwak of The French Laundry. I swapped out the cheddar for gruyere, and cut down the butter a bit (I know, I know, but it didn't need the extra). I also used the gluten free mix I used before in my scones. Seriously, this stuff is awesome!


1 cup water
1/2 cup dried polenta
6 Tbsp (3oz) unsalted butter, cut into large cubes
1 cup milk
1 cup Jeanne's GF flour mix
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 egg
3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
3 Tbsp chopped chives

sliced Granny Smith apple
several slices of prosciutto or salami
several slices of brie
fresh spinach or baby greens

- Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan, add polenta and cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the butter until melted and incorporated.  Mix in the cold milk and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, baking powder, garlic powder, and cayenne.
Pour the cooled polenta mixture over the dry ingredients,  add the egg and whisk until the mixture is thoroughly incorporated.  Fold in the cheese and chives just until the mixture is uniform. Waffle batter will be thick.
- Cook waffles according to waffle machine instructions, but keep an eye on it, I found that my waffles needed an extra few minutes on the iron to crisp up and finish cooking.  The batter doesn't expand too much but you probably want to stick to about 1/4 cup of batter for each section.
- Top one waffle with the brie as soon as it's out of the iron, top with several slices of apple, a slice or two of prosciutto or salami, and some greens and top with another waffle. Squish it down a bit or it may be too tall to stuff into your mouth, but I'm sure you'll figure out a way to make that work. Enjoy!