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waffles {ffwd}
Last month, my friends at French Fridays with Dorie made waffles with cream. That week, I had a momentarily lapse of confusion and made the cheesecake tart which wasn’t scheduled until today. So this week while the Doristas enjoy their tarts, I will share my waffles with you.
I grew up eating waffles at breakfast time. I’m not sure what the difference is between pancake and waffle batter, but my mother made them distinct by using Hungry Jack for pancakes and Bisquick for waffles. Waffles were a considered treat, I think because they are cooked one at a time, and when we had waffles, you didn’t have to wait for everyone, you just ate your waffle when it was hot off the iron. I even have memories of waffles for dinner occasionally, the same ones served at breakfast time but eaten at night.
In France, waffles are not the entrée but dessert. These waffles were more delicate than the heartier ones I sometimes make for breakfast. (I use my college friend Sara’s recipe, not my mom’s.) I’m not sure whether this recipe is typically French, but the waffles were super buttery and light and crispy. The lightness came from beaten egg whites.
I did have some trouble cooking these. I halved the recipe, and I didn’t do a great job of judging how much batter to pour onto the waffle iron. I ended up with three rather thin waffles instead of two. The instructions were a little confusing too. Dorie had us pour the batter and then spread it (straightforward), but unlike the savory waffles with smoked salmon we made last spring, she never says to close the waffle iron. She does tell us to flip them over. I tried both ways (with the waffle iron open and closed) and did flipped all of them, but they didn’t get quite as golden brown as they should have. I’ll attribute that to not using each batter for each waffle.
The waffles being dessert, I sprinkled them with powdered sugar and drizzled them with chocolate sauce (some leftover chocolate ganache that I reheated). Neither of us care for whipped cream, so I had planned to serve ice cream with the waffles, but, uncharacteristically, there wasn’t any in the freezer.
This wasn’t my favorite dessert recipe from AMFT, so I doubt I’ll be making them again. And for breakfast, Sara’s recipe is perfect so I’ll stick with hers.
If you want to read more about the other Dorista’s waffles, check here. If you want to know about the cheesecake tarts they made this week, check here. The recipes can be found in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.
After our brutal winter, spring is decidedly here. Here are a few shots from my garden.
My favorite daffodils: Barrett Browing
Assorted Spring Flowers
smoked salmon waffles {ffwd}
The United States and France have a totally different take on waffles. Here in the U.S., waffles are breakfast fare. Though I have a waffle iron, I’m often hard-pressed to opt for waffles over pancakes because the batters are so similar, and pancakes are quicker to make and serve to waiting diners. Traditionally, they are drenched in maple syrup, though not being a fan of maple syrup (gasp!), I spread them with jam or preserves instead (pancakes too).
In France, savory waffles are served as an appetizer (not even a concept here) or, when sweet, as dessert. This week’s recipe for French Fridays with Dorie is a savory version of waffles filled with smoked salmon and complementary herbs. I decided to serve Smoked Salmon Waffles as the main event in a “Breakfast for Dinner” night.
The basic waffle batter is like the breakfast version, but with no sugar added. These waffles were flavored with chopped shallot (I didn’t realize I’d used up the scallions the night before), parsley, and chives plus smoked salmon slivers. The batter was pretty with the colorful confetti of the green and pink add-ins.
I was intrigued by an unusual step in Dorie’s instructions for cooking the waffles. She directed us to spread the batter over the grid with a spatula and leave the waffle iron open while it cooked for the first thirty seconds. After that, you close the waffle iron to finish cooking. I’ve always done the plop-and-close method, but I tried my usual way and Dorie’s way. I’m not sure why, but those I made Dorie’s way had a more uniform shape and a browner surface. I think it would be worth trying out her method with plain waffles next time I make them too.
As always, it took a while to cook the waffles. Each one took about 5 minutes. I think that’s why pancakes are more popular at my house. I kept them warm in the oven, but ended up just cooking what we would eat that night, unplugging the waffle iron, eating dinner, then cooking the rest while I washed the dishes.
To round out “Breakfast for Dinner”, I served scrambled eggs with the waffles. I wasn’t able to find salmon roe at any of my usual shopping venues, so I chopped additional smoked salmon to top the dollop of crème fraîche that garnished the waffles. It added an extra splash of color. Salmon roe would have been fabulous, if I’d been able to find some.
Howard’s initial reaction was that the savory waffles were odd. After about half a waffle, he changed his mind and thought they were good. We don’t usually have breakfast for dinner. That’s often a fallback for me when I’m eating alone, so that might have been what he found unusual.
We ate the leftovers (the waffles I cooked after dinner) the next night. They reheated perfectly in the toaster. Instead of eggs, we had a simple salad to accompany the waffles, so the second night’s combo bore no resemblance to breakfast.
While I enjoyed this recipe, I don’t know that I’d make it again. If you want to know what my Dorista friends thought, you can follow their links from here. If you’d like to try them yourself, the recipe can be found here or in Dorie Greenspan’s book Around My French Table.
Enjoy the long weekend! Summer is unofficially here!
A Plateful of Happiness 