Bacon Cornmeal Waffles

We love breakfast for dinner, especially since I'm way too lazy in the mornings to actually cook breakfast for breakfast! Again, this is another favorite from The Joy of Cooking.

Cook up 2 - 3 thin slices of bacon, let cool, crumble, and set aside.

Preheat your waffle iron. Whisk together in a large bowl:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Whisk together in another bowl:

• 2 cups buttermilk (you can substitute yogurt)
• 5 tablespoons melted butter (don't skimp! this is what makes your waffles crispy!)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 egg yolks

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Combine with a few swift strokes of the whisk. Mix in the crumbled bacon. Do not over mix.
Beat until stiff but not dry 2 egg whites. Then fold them into the batter. To cook, cover the surface of your preheated iron about 2/3 full, and close. When the the steam subsides and the waffle smells like it has browned a bit, open the iron, scoop it out and either let cool on a wire rack, or keep warm directly on the rack of a low oven. Do not stack them on a plate or they will get soggy instead of maintaining their crispiness. They can be easily reheated in a toaster oven or directly on the rack of a 350 degree oven.

Also, as an alternative, instead of crumbling the bacon into the batter, you can cut the bacon into quarters and lay a piece on each waffle iron section after pouring in the batter.