Although the calendar says that Spring arrives this week, my reality says otherwise. I live in Ottawa. There is no rhubarb poking it’s little head out of the frozen earth, begging to be picked,  in my neck of the woods. Yet, I’m anxious for it to be Spring already, so I hurried things along by using frozen rhubarb and imported strawberries. Desparate times, folks.

These yeasted cornmeal waffles are the perfect vehicle to showcase the strawberry-rhubarb sauce. These are not waffles to be made on a whim. You must plan ahead and make the batter overnight. Sorry, but time is the secret ingredient in these sublime waffles. These cornmeal waffles are my spin on Marion Cunningham’s waffles from her classic tome, “The Breakfast Book. Although this little book is over 20 years old, it has stood the test of time. If you love breakfast/brunch foods, you need to add this book to your shelf.

Yeast, warm water, and a pinch of sugar get things going. Add some buttermilk, salt, all-purpose flour and cornmeal and mix up the magic. Leave it on the counter overnight. In the morning, behold a glorious bubbling concoction. Add eggs and baking soda and you’re ready to waffle.
Let’s talk strawberry-rhubarb sauce. First, the elephant in the room. Rhubarb is bracingly sour. We need something to tame the tang. Of course you could use sugar, but we’re making waffles here, so maple syrup is my sweetner of choice. It has more depth of flavour than plain white sugar and it really flatters the tart and acidic tone of rhubarb. As a bonus, it helps to enhance imported strawberries.

Roast the fruit with maple syrup for about 40 minutes. This sauce will keep in the fridge for about a week. I have been mixing the leftover sauce into my plain greek yogurt in the morning. So much better than buying flavoured yogurt.

Click here to print recipe for Yeasted Cornmeal Waffles with Roasted Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce.