Waffling
New York City. 1964 World’s Fair. No idea why I was standing in a long line at the Belgian Pavilion. All I remember is a paper plate appeared in my hands with the largest waffle I had ever seen topped with whipped cream and strawberries. And permanently seared into my memory was this mélange of flavors and textures.
Later on I would try to reproduce this experience with a standard waffle maker, but the results did not live up to expectations. It was only a few years ago that I bought a waffle maker capable of cooking the thick, large-holed variety that I finally reconnected with 1964.
I use the KitchenAid Pro Line Waffle Baker
I like the recipes from Dorie Greenspan’s Waffles: From Morning to Midnight especially for the batter. She has all kinds of batter variations beyond the basic ones:
- Cinnamon Raison Whole-Wheat
- Carrot
- Crispy Cornmeal
- Banana Oatmeal
- Whole-grain sourdough
- Blueberry yogurt
- …. you get the idea
The book has a number of interesting toppings and ideas for “dinner” waffles, but to fill a whole book (this one has over 200 pages), Greenspan has really to had to reach and many of these creations just don’t work for me such as “Smoked Salmon and Dill Waffles”. Anyway, today I made some basic Belgian waffles with whipped cream and strawberries. Here is a little video: