The Belgium Waffle has always been
one of my favorite breakfast items. The
waffle is thick and has deep pockets to hold the syrup and butter. I always thought the brown syrup on the brown
waffle was not as colorful as it should be so I’d add yogurt and fruit to
lighten it up. When I was living in
Europe, the Belgium waffle was served with fresh berries, sprinkled with
powdered sugar or it had bits of candied sugar or nuts cooked into the waffle.
A few years ago my wife and I began
a tradition of having waffles with ice cream for our kids birthday
breakfast. The cold ice cream slowly
melts over the hot waffle complimenting each other. When I was crafting the Trees Lounge
breakfast menu I knew I wanted to include a Belgium waffle on the menu using a
combination of all these influences to inspire me.
To start preparing the dish, make a
ginger syrup by boiling water and white sugar.
As the liquid is reducing to a syrup, peel a fresh ginger root and then
slice into rounds. Once the syrup
thickens up, add the ginger and cook it for a few minutes until the ginger
becomes aromatic.
Candied macadamia nuts add a crunch
to the dish and the spices add layers of complexity. Chop macadamia nuts into little pieces and
bake them in the oven at 300 degrees until golden brown. Pull the nuts out of the oven and let them
cool down. Separate 6 egg yolks from the
egg whites. Reserve the egg yolks for
another use. Pour the egg whites into an
electric mixer with a wire whisk. Beat
the egg whites until they are fluffy, then add brown sugar, vanilla extract and
spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and
salt. Combine the mac nuts with the egg
mixture. Spread it evenly on a baking
tray and bake at 300 degrees until they are dry. Every 5 minutes scrap the nuts so they don’t
stick together. Let the nuts cool down
before putting them in an airtight container.
The waffle batter is made by
beating four eggs in two cups of milk then adding sugar, vanilla extract, salt,
baking powder, flour, and then melted butter. The Belgium waffle iron needs to be preheated
and oiled so the batter doesn’t stick to it.
Cook the waffle until golden
brown.
Plate the waffle. Boil the ginger syrup, cut up a honey dew
melon into small pieces and drop them briefly in the ginger syrup. Scoop the pieces out of the liquid and place
them on top of the waffle. Sprinkle the
candied mac nuts over the melon. Scoop
vanilla gelato and ice cream on top to finish it off.
Enjoy the dish right away before
the waffle gets soggy.
