Waffles: The Ever Changing, Not Just Breakfast Food

I know what you are probably thinking: Waffles? Is that a bistro style dish? What about crepes? Haven’t waffles been kind of Americanized?

Do you know what I'm thinking: who the heck cares? Waffles are an unbelievable food and perfect vessels for flavour  They go great with the bistro style: they are quick, easy and cheap to prepare and can be coupled with other flavours from the kitchen to suit any meal. Obviously there isn't a lot of technique here but there is a really good recipe that can be left open for interpretation. To me that is the essence of bistro cooking: simple recipes that create great flavour using whatever is around and fresh. Have some beautiful seasonal fruit? Throw it on top with a spoonful of yoghurt. You want a savoury brunch option? Throw some chopped cooked bacon, cheese and chives into the batter. Feel like stocking your freezer with some quick breakfast options for the week? Make up a boat load of waffles and freeze them like I do!

You’ll notice that this recipe uses both baking soda and baking powder, this ensures that the waffles get a crisp outer coating and soft interior, don’t try and go without one or the other. This combo makes the waffle.

Classic Waffles

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 1/3 cup milk

6 tbsp oil

2 eggs

Method:

• Don’t fuss around: mix all the ingredients together and whisk like a mad man until all the eggs are incorporated and everything is smooth.
• Let rest five minutes. Not four. Be patient.
• As its resting preheat your waffle iron. If your iron comes with settings for heat, you want to aim for medium so they won’t cook too quickly and achieve the delicious texture you want.
• When its preheated and ready to go, spoon batter onto the press (it depends on the size of your machine how much batter to use but always leave a ½“ border around the outside to allow for expansion)
• When it’s all crisp and delicious, top with whatever you’d like!

If you can't decide like me sometimes, go both sweet and savoury with a little crispy bacon (or in this case crispy pig cheek) and maple syrup as pictured here.