Amazing Plum Cake

Here in Boston we are blessed with a multitude of Farmers Markets. There is literally one every day of the week, within a reasonable distance. At this time in the season, there are copious amounts of lettuce, tomatoes, corn, and peaches at the markts. And they are all great. But the farm good that has caught my eye (mouth?) this summer are these little plums. I have bought them now from several markets around the city, from several different farms, week after week. I started with the most yellow and orange little guys, and then worked my way towards the more traditional purple ones, and then back to yellow again.

Anatomy of a Road Trip

Whenever I embark on any kind of event (or any thing at all, really), after spending a short time thinking about how much fun it will be, I think about what would be good to eat while I'm doing it. So, when a friend proposed that I come with them to visit another friend in Rochester, NY, (7 hour car ride, anyone?) I was overwhelmed with ideas for what kind of baked good would satisfy us on a mini-road trip. I wanted something sweet, but not necessarily dessert-like; an any-time-of-day treat. It had to be easy to eat with your hands and not too crumbly. Finally, I needed something that was durable- something that would taste good after it had been left in the backseat of the car for several hours (or overnight, 'cause I forget sometimes). This recipe, the Strawberry Jam Granola Bar, seemed to slide on down a light beam from heaven right into my lap (It's called Foodbuzz).

A Quick Note About Bacon

It's pretty good. Really good. Life changing. Especially when you cover it in brown sugar until it caramelizes and you integrate it into a fluffy, crispy waffle. When I came across this recipe for Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles, I immediately knew how I would be spending my Saturday morning.

These waffles were a great way to christen my new waffle iron, and they turned out pretty beautifully; and, really, when a recipe begins with "sprinkle brown sugar over bacon," not too much can go wrong. Although they went well with butter and syrup, you could easily eat them plain. Overall, I might mess with the amount of brown sugar in the recipe to make the flavors deeper, and I would keep the bacon chunks on the large size.

Needless to say, they were a hit. I couldn't put more than two waffles on a plate without the family jumping on them. Even my historically bacon-ambivalent boyfriend declared them "Awesome." Although it is a somewhat labor intensive recipe for those of us who don't want to spend a ton of time in the kitchen before 9am, but it was worth it. Very. Very. Worth it.

Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles

8 slices bacon

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 cups flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs

2 1/2 cups buttermilk

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange the bacon on the prepared baking sheet, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Bake in the preheated oven until the bacon is crispy and the brown sugar is caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes*. Immediately remove the bacon to a cutting board; cut into small pieces and set aside.

Preheat a waffle iron; grease with cooking spray.

Whisk the flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Beat the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla together in a separate bowl; fold the wet mixture into the flour mixture. Add the bacon and stir, being careful to not over mix.

Ladle the batter into the preheated waffle iron and cook until golden brown; serve hot.

: Even with a prepared, non-stick pan, some of the brown sugar burned and stuck to my cookie sheets. I would recommend trying to get all of the sugar on the bacon and making sure to use non-stick pans.

Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com's Alisan