This delightful recipe was made from ingredients included in my Farmer's Market Direct Basket. To pick yours up from any of the four local markets, order online at Farmer's Market Direct.

Weekends are for waffles. That's just my personal opinion.

Pancakes are pretty terrific, but waffles are definitely my jam.

Crispy on the outside, soft and fragrant inside with plenty of nooks and crannies for butter to melt and pool in. The best part about waffles? They can provide perfect little pockets for whatever you'd like. Savory or sweet, fruit or meat. Waffles are up for anything.

When I picked up my Farmer's Market Direct basket, I spotted those dusky, pretty peaches right away. It was as if all the peach fuzz had created a halo around their golden, orange skins. Pick me, they insisted. How on earth could I resist?

Peaches from Smith Orchards courtesy of Farmer's Market Direct

So I made these little pieces of peachy perfection.

Crispy, buttermilk waffles loaded with fresh, sliced peaches, dollops of buttermilk whipped cream, and finished off with a drizzle of peach syrup.

These waffles are so peachy keen you'll be unable to stop wolfing them down. You've been warned.

I whipped up a batch of my favorite waffles, courtesy of Buns in My Oven. Karly, the blogger who runs the site, maintains that these are the very BEST waffles on the planet.

Karly is right. Listen to Karly.

I don't even bother looking for waffle recipes anymore. Seriously, why would I need one? It'd be like marrying Brad Pitt and having an affair. Doesn't make any damn sense. This is the only waffle recipe you'll need, friends.

It begins with an array of ingredients that are pretty standard. Flour, sugar, buttermilk, etc. But take a look at that egg. If you saw the last post, it might look familiar. That's a local, fresh egg from Clifford Farms that I got in my Farmer's Direct Market Basket. And in this recipe, those eggs make all the difference. As you'll see later, they are essential to giving these waffles that light, airy lift and crispy exterior.

Let's toss the dry ingredients together. And if you like plenty of punch in your waffles, go a little spicier. I sometimes double the spices in this recipe to get a more fragrant profile.

Next we'll whip up the wet ingredients except for the egg whites, a touch of sugar and the extract. We need that loveliness for lift later.

Combine wet and dry ingredients briefly. Gently, Slowly.

This is where everyone fucks it up. Don't over mix.

You're going to see big blobs of flour hanging out in some of the air pockets of the batter. Air pockets in the batter are good, people. We want air pockets. So stop mixing before you think you should and just breathe. That bubble of flour is not going to burst and ruin your waffles. Promise.

Now we're back to that egg white. Froth it until you get some soft peaks. Add the sugar and extract and whip it some more. You don't need stiff peaks but they shouldn't be soupy either.

Fold into the batter gently. As if you were tucking in a baby. Just a few gentle pats, people.

While you're toasting up those waffles, prepare your buttermilk whipped cream. It's not difficult. You take buttermilk and whipped cream and beat it much the same as you would whipping cream. It won't get as fluffy but it should hold its own if you use a local, fresh from the farm buttermilk that has plenty of fat content. Pepper it with some sugar until it's as sweet as you want it. Then start with the syrup.

To keep this syrup packing plenty of peach flavor, you boil just water and sugar by itself to form a simple syrup, then put it in the food processor with some fresh sliced peaches. You'll get a much more robust, peachy syrup than if you boiled the fruit.

Tada! Take your waffles and adorn them with layers of fragrant fruit, the tart fluffiness of buttermilk cream, and a drizzle of perfectly sweet peach syrup.

You'll be pleased with the perfect bite of summer for your weekend brunch. Until next time, friends, I encourage you to buy local and enjoy the bounty of the summer with Farmer's Market Direct.

Peaches and Cream Waffles

For the waffles:

(Recipe from Buns in My Oven)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon. baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/4 cup milk

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large egg, separated

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the buttermilk cream:

1/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 Tbsp. sugar

For the peach syrup:

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

1 peach sliced and peeled

Directions:

Mix the flour, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Measure the buttermilk, milk, and vegetable oil in a measuring cup and stir in the egg yolk. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat the egg white almost to soft peaks. Sprinkle in the sugar and continue to beat until the peaks are firm and glossy. Beat in the vanilla.

Pour the buttermilk mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until just mixed. Drop the whipped egg white onto the batter in dollops and fold in with a spatula until just incorporated.

Pour the batter onto the hot waffle iron and cook until the waffle is crisp and brown.

Whip the buttermilk and heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add sugar. Whip for several minutes longer until peaks are firm.

Boil water and sugar in a saucepan on the stove. Boil, stirring, for several minutes. Remove from heat and cool. In a food processor, combine cooled simple syrup with peeled peach. Pulse until incorporated into the syrup.

To serve:

While waffles are still warm, adorn with sliced peaches, dollop of buttermilk cream, and drizzle with peach syrup. Garnish with mint leaves if desired. Devour.