This Breakfast Dish Is All About the Bacon

You might get bacon in every bite! (JeanMarie Brownson/TNS)

We hit the lotto at the breakfast buffet on a recent trip to Maine. The hosts served thick and crispy bacon strips alongside deviled eggs topped with bacon. No one argued. We vowed to celebrate more double bacon days at home.

Enter our favorite buttermilk waffles luxuriously topped with a bacon praline sauce and bacon-pecan crispy bits. Fresh peach slices make us feel less guilty about all the richness, but no one objects when crisp bacon strips land on the plate as well.

Season the waffle batter with a tablespoon or two of melted bacon fat (in place of some of the oil) for even more smoky goodness. Cinnamon and a little whole wheat flour add a sweet nuttiness to the batter.

For the bacon praline sauce, cook diced bacon until crispy then add roughly chopped pecans to bring out their aroma. The resulting crispy bacon and pecans get seasoned with coarse salt and become a crunchy topping to add to waffles, salads, and ice cream sundaes. The bacon drippings form the base of the rich brown sugar, butter, and cream sauce.

To make mornings simpler, measure out all the dry ingredients for the waffles in advance and store in a covered container. The bacon praline sauce also can be made in advance; reheat the sauce and the crispy bacon-pecan bits separately before serving. If the sauce gets too thick, stir in a little more cream.

Waffle irons vary in size and shape. The classic waffle iron produces a crispy waffle about 1/2-inch thick with 1/8-inch deep crannies. A Belgian waffle maker has larger, deeper crannies that hold more syrup. Check your manufacturer’s specific directions for preheating the iron, amount of batter to add, and cooking times.

Be sure to use vegetable oil suited for high-heat cooking, such as safflower oil, sunflower oil, or expeller-pressed canola oil, in the waffle batter and for coating the waffle iron. These oils can take the heat of the waffle iron without smoking, resulting in better-tasting waffles.

Serve the waffles as soon as they are baked; don’t stack them on top of each other for any length of time, or they’ll get soggy. If not eating right away, pop them directly onto the rack of a preheated 200 degree to stay crisp while you bake more. To make waffles in advance, cool them completely on a wire rack before stacking into a container for refrigeration or freezing. Reheat them to great crispness in a toaster.

Peaches and nectarines are at the peak right now and pair beautifully with the bacon praline topping. Slip off their skins and slice them 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkled with a little lemon juice, they will keep in the fridge for a day. Sliced bananas (or frozen sliced peaches) make a delicious substitute when peaches are not in season.

Buttermilk-Cinnamon Waffles With Bacon Praline Sauce

Makes 3 to 4 servings

• 4 or 5 large ripe peaches or nectarines
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon each: salt, ground cinnamon
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk or plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup sunflower, safflower oil or high-heat expeller-pressed canola oil, plus more for waffle iron (alternatively, use nonstick cooking spray for iron)
• 2 tablespoons melted bacon fat (or more oil)

For Serving

• Bacon praline sauce and crispy bits, see recipe, reheated if necessary
• Plain yogurt or sour cream, optional
• Mint sprigs, for garnish

To peel peaches easily, heat a small saucepan of water to the boil. One at a time, drop the peach into the hot water and roll it around for 30 to 50 seconds--the skin will feel loose. Remove and let cool. Repeat with remaining peaches. When cool enough to handle, use a small knife to remove the peach peel. Working over a bowl to catch the juice, cut the peaches into 1/4-inch wide slices, letting the slices fall into the bowl. Toss with lemon juice.

Whisk together flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Heat oven to 200 degrees F. Heat waffle iron according to manufacturers’ directions.

Whisk together eggs in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk in buttermilk, 1/2 cup milk, melted butter, 1/4 cup oil, and bacon fat. Gently whisk egg mixture into the flour mixture just until combined. Do not overmix.

When waffle iron is heated, use a silicone brush to coat cooking plates with oil or spray with nonstick cooking spray. (Oil or spray waffle iron as needed between waffles.) For each waffle, spoon a generous cup of the batter into the heated waffle iron, close the iron, and bake until waffle is crisped and perfectly golden. Remove the baked waffle and put into the oven directly on the oven rack for 5 to 10 minutes while you bake the remaining waffles.

To serve, pile a couple of hot waffle squares on a heated serving plate. Top with peach slices, a generous drizzle of the bacon praline sauce and crispy bacon and pecan bits. Serve garnished with dollops of yogurt, if desired, and mint sprigs.

Bacon Praline Sauce and Crispy Bits

Makes 1 cup sauce and 1 cup crispy bits

Note: Sauce and crispy bits can be made several days in advance. Reheat separately in the microwave before serving. Stir in a tablespoon or two of cream if the sauce is too thick to pour easily.

• 3 thick strips applewood smoked bacon, about 4 ounces
• 1 cup roughly chopped pecans
• Coarse salt
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon dark rum or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Cut bacon into 1/2-inch dice. Cook diced bacon in medium-size saucepan until crisp, about 6 minutes. Add pecans and cook to make them aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer crispy bacon bits and pecans to a plate (leaving drippings in pan). Season with a few pinches of salt.

Add butter to the pan with the bacon fat. Melt over medium, about 1 minute. Stir in brown sugar and scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook and stir until sugar melts and mixture boils, about 1 minute. Stir in cream and boil for 1 minute; cover with lid and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in rum, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch or two of salt.

Serve sauce warm. Serve the crispy bits separately from the sauce.