Belgian Waffle Iron

Yes, my quest for the perfect waffles is not yet over.

I still dream of owning a Belgian waffle iron in the hopes that it will one day yield me waffles the way I like them. I like my waffles crispy on the outside and light on the inside.

My future Belgian waffle iron need not be as high-tech as the one artist Chris Dimini made, which sports a QWERTY design.

I had made waffles for MyGirl's birthday the previous day and waffles were still fresh in my mind. I didn't use my usual Betty Crocker recipe because I wanted to experiment on other recipes to see if other recipes work better. The waffles hadn't come out the way I like my waffles although the recipe I tried was warmly accepted by the family.

WAFFLES (makes 11.5 waffles)

3 c self-raising flour

1/2 c sugar

1/8 t salt

2 eggs, separated

2 c milk

1/2 c water

1/2 c melted butter

Beat egg whites with half the sugar until stiff peaks. Set aside.

Beat egg yolks with rest of the sugar until creamy.

Add milk and water into egg yolks and beat well.

Add sifted dry ingredients and mix to combine.

Add butter. Mix well.

Fold in egg whites.

Cook waffles.

Belgian waffle irons are expensive here (as are other things). We were at a Blacktown mall when I mentioned this to RD. He asked me how much they cost and when I said they cost about a hundred dollars, without hesitation he replied, "Get it, Mom. You can get $100 from my $700."

I was deeply touched.

"I can't do that, sweetheart. I have $100 but there are other more important things to spend that money on," I explained.

Even after we'd gone around the mall a bit more, the waffle iron was still on his mind. He offered me other options, "We'll get it for your birthday, Mom. Everyone can give $25, or else!"

I smiled. He is really such a sweet and thoughtful boy.

The thought of giving his own money or taking up a collection to come up with the funds to make one of my dreams come true is enough to make me go off and buy the thing myself so that I can make the Belgian waffles for him. (Come to think of it, RD makes my stay in the kitchen worth my while. He always appreciates my experiments and encourages me by saying, "I'm sure they taste great. They're mom-made.")

That night, I googled Belgian Waffle Iron and found a recipe I wanted to try. I thought MAYBE, just maybe, even if I didn't own a Belgian waffle iron, I could get the crispy outside and soft fluffy inside kind of waffles I desire.

The next morning, while the family slept, I started on my waffles.

BELGIAN WAFFLES (makes 14 using a regular waffle iron)

1/4 + 2 3/4 c milk

2 1/4 t yeast

3 eggs, separated

1/4 + 1/4 c sugar

1 1/2 t vanilla

3/4 c butter, melted

4 c flour, sifted

3/4 t salt

Warm 1/4 c milk

Add yeast to warmed milk and let stand for 5 mins

Beat egg whites to soft peaks

Add 1/4 c sugar slowly and beat until stiff peaks

Set aside

In separate bowl, beat egg yolks and rest of sugar until light and creamy

In measuring cup, combine rest of milk and vanilla

Alternately combine dry ingredients (flour and salt) with wet ingredients (milk and vanilla) into egg yolk mixture starting and ending with the flour.

Add melted butter and mix to combine.

Fold in egg whites and let rest for 45 mins.

Pour about 1/2 c per waffle on iron and cook.

Remember to (a) heat the waffle iron before starting, (b) grease the waffle iron before pouring the batter and (c) keep waffles cooking until the steam stops.

Before the time the 45 minutes cut-off, Z and MyGirl were up. I sent them off to buy some cream and strawberry jam for our waffles. As the waffles were cooking, RD and MacGyver got up. By the time GI woke up, everyone else had eaten breakfast.

The waffles were good on their own. They still didn't have the texture I wanted but the base recipe was great and it yielded a decent number of waffles to make everyone happy.

Till the next waffle experiment or the Belgian waffle iron acquisition, whichever comes first.