Cornbread Waffles With Ranch-Style Eggs

Treat yourself to a special brunch with savory cornbread waffles topped with spicy, tomato ranch-style sauce, fried eggs and cilantro crema!

Brunch with Bobby Flay

Looking for something delicious and different for brunch? Give these Cornbread Waffles with Ranch-Style Eggs and Cilantro Crema a try! This Bobby Flay recipe has a wonderful array of flavors. Cornbread waffles are sprinkled with cheese and broiled, creating a base for the rest of the goodies. Then each waffle is topped with a fried egg, a generous ladle for red chile sauce and cilantro crema. A final flourish of green onion and cilantro leaves completes this hearty breakfast main course.

The red chile sauce is the superstar of this dish. Wonderfully layered with flavor from a variety of chiles and spices, it reminds me of mole sauce. While it tastes different than mole, it requires a variety of ingredients and some effort, similar to a mole. Making this sauce ahead would be a great idea, along with the waffle batter and the crema.

Gourmet Group Brunch

This is considered an intermediate recipe due to the time it takes to make vs the level of difficulty. While it’s not a breakfast you’re going to just throw together on a whim, it’s perfect for a special occasion. That’s exactly what Brian and Lynda thought when they selected brunch as our latest Gourmet Group theme. They paired their dish with Micheladas, a “Mexican Bloody Mary” made with lime juice, hot sauce, Clamato, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and beer. A perfect pairing with their waffle/egg entree.

The Rest of the Menu

• Watermelon Avocado Cucumber Salad
• Baked Blintzes with Blueberry Sauce

I can’t believe this is only the second time in 17 years our Gourmet Group has done brunch! There are so many great recipes, and we’re a group that loves to try new things. I’m sure we will be brunching together again in the future. Tracey, one of our Gourmet Group members, pointed out another advantage of gathering for brunch vs dinner.

Its better to stuff yourself earlier when you still have the rest of the day to digest vs going home and falling into bed.”

Tracey, a wise women and accomplished cook

Enjoy these highlights from our Gourmet Group brunch.

Thanks for adding a Star Rating (IN RECIPE) To Let Others Know What You Thought!

Cornbread Waffles with Ranch-Style Eggs and Cilantro Crema

Hearty cornbread waffles topped with a spicy tomato ranch-style sauce, fried eggs and cilantro crema

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast

Keyword: cornbread, eggs, tomato, vegetarian, waffles

Servings: 8

Author: Bobby Flay

Ingredients

Waffles

• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• Pinch of cayenne
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
• Nonstick pan spray

Red Chile Sauce

• 3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 sweet onion chopped
• 1 serrano chile sliced into rounds
• 2 1/2 cups canned plum tomatoes with their juices
• 2 tablespoons ground ancho chile powder
• 2 tablespoons ground pasilla chile powder
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons pureed chipotles in adobo sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Splash of red wine vinegar

Crema

• 1 cup cilantro leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons grated cotija cheese
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 3/4 cup crema Mexican sour cream
• 1/4 cup soft goat’s milk cheese at room temperature
• Finely grated zest of 1 lime
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Eggs

• 8 large eggs
• 2 cups grated sharp Cheddar
• 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 scallions thinly sliced
• Handful of fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

• Make the waffle batter: Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and honey in a small bowl. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, cumin, fine sea salt and cayenne in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients and gently whisk together until just combined (do not over mix). Fold in the butter, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes.
• While the waffle batter rests, make the red chile sauce: Put the garlic on a cutting board, sprinkle with kosher salt, and use the flat side of your knife blade to smear the garlic and salt to a coarse paste. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, the ancho and pasilla chile powders and some salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 15 minutes. Use a potato masher to mash the tomatos and cook slightly thickened, about 10 minutes longer. Mash again to make a chunky sauce. Stir in the chipotle puree, honey, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste, cook another 1 to 2 minutes then remove from the heat.
• Make the crema: Combine the cilantro, garlic, cotija and pine nuts in a small food processor and puree the mixture until it is smooth. Whisk together the crema and goat cheese in a medium bowl until smooth. Stir in the cilantro mixture and lime zest and set aside. Season with salt and pepper.
• Make the waffles: Heat the waffle iron according to manufacturer’s instructions. Spray with nonstick pan spray, then ladle about 1/4 cup of the batter into each grid, close, and cook until golden brown on both sides and steam stops coming out from the iron, about 4 minutes. Transfer the waffles to a baking sheet.
• Make the eggs: Preheat the broiler to high. Crack 4 eggs into each of 2 small bowls. Heat 2 medium nonstick skillets over medium-high heat (or use 1 skillet and cook the eggs in 2 batches). Add 2 tablespoons butter to each skillet; once the bubbles mostly subside, slip 4 eggs into each skillet and season the tops with salt and pepper. When the whites start to set, after 1 to 2 minutes, cover the skillet and cook until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny, about 2 minutes longer.
• While the eggs cook, assemble the waffles: Combine the Cheddar and Moneterey Jack cheeses in a medium bowl, then top each waffle with about 1/2 cup of cheese and broil until the cheese is bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. Top each waffle with a fried egg, a generous amount of chile sauce and a dollop of crema. Garnish with scallions and cilantro leaves and serve immediately.

Notes

We used 1/2 waffle per serving which provides a hearty portion.