National Waffle Week

Well apparently National Waffle Week was this past week or it’s this week. I’ve read several different articles and one says it’s from the 6th -12th and another says it’s the week of September 12th. In any case we could even make today National Waffle Day if we wanted because it just doesn’t matter. What does matter is that when we decide to dive into a wonderful fluffy waffle it should taste incredible. Whether you smother it in maple syrup or fresh fruit or even chocolate we want to make those calories count. So in honor of the week or the day, I found a recipe for Chocolate Waffle Brownies. My guess is you don’t even have to be a kid to love this one. Of course since I’m a chocoholic this one appealed to me.

This recipe embellishes the chocolate waffles with a pink fondant glaze and sugar-glazed strawberries. If you don’t want to glaze the strawberries, you can serve them plain if they’re ripe and sweet. Otherwise, roll them in sugar or marinate them in a sugar-water solution prior to serving, to sweeten them up.

Makes 5 to 6 waffles, depending on your waffle maker.

Waffles

Ingredients

3 ounces (3 squares) melted, unsweetened chocolate
1⁄2 cup butter, melted
3 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ to ¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
¾ cup milk
Confectioner’s sugar, optional
Preparation

Place chocolate and butter in small saucepan.
Melt over low heat. Set aside to cool.

In separate bowl, beat eggs and salt until light in color. Add sugar and vanilla. Beat by hand to combine, then fold in the cooled chocolate mixture.

Stir in flour and nuts. Slowly add enough milk to make a thick batter. Preheat the waffle maker.

Use 1/3 cup of batter(check your waffle maker directions as this may vary on model). Spoon waffle batter onto preheated waffle grid. Close lid and bake until signal indicates waffle is done. Remove and serve.
Waffles will store well for several days if wrapped in plastic.

Jacques Pépin’s Fast Pink Fondant and Glazed Strawberries

Ingredients

2 tablespoons warm tap water from
1 tablespoon corn syrup
3 to 4 drops red food coloring (optional)
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
Preparation

Mix warm water, corn syrup and food coloring. Put the confectioner’s sugar in bowl and add water-corn syrup mixture.

Stir with whisk until well-mixed, then beat with whisk for 20 to 30 seconds, until very smooth. Depending on the moisture in the sugar, you may need slightly more water, until fondant is loose enough to be drizzled or spread. Or, if fondant is too thin, add a little sugar.

Break waffles into individual servings and arrange on a wire rack; drizzle fondant on each waffle. This can be done ahead so the fondant dries slightly and remains shiny. The fondant should be used within an hour or so of preparation. Otherwise, cover it with plastic wrap so it doesn’t harden.

Glazed Strawberries

For glazing, use ripe strawberries, preferably with stems so you can hold them easily as you dip them into the hot, liquid sugar. Be sure the berries are dry so they do not splatter, and proceed with caution.

If berries are ripe and sugar is used right away, while it is hot and thin, the shell of sugar crusted around the berries will be thin. The hot sugar will partially cook the ripe berries. Within 15 to 20 minutes, the berries will release some juice, which will begin to melt the shell of sugar; so the glazing cannot be done more than 1 hour before serving.

The riper the berries, the faster the moisture is released. The right time to serve the berries is when the sugar shell is partially melted, so that it is thin and close to breaking open. The berries will be warm, juicy, and a bit soft inside. If hard, partially ripe berries are used, the sugar remains thick and the berries are dry and hard.

Ingredients

1 ½ cup sugar
½ cup cool water
6 to 8 drops lemon juice
12 very large, ripe strawberries with stems

Preparation

Oil a tray very lightly. If the strawberries are not clean, wash them gently and dry them thoroughly.

To glaze the berries: Put sugar and cool water in a small saucepan, preferably unlined copper, and stir just enough to wet the sugar and create a syrup. Then cook over medium to high heat until a candy thermometer registers between 310°F and 320°F degrees. This will take approximately 15 minutes after the mixture comes to a boil.

An unlined copper pan tends to prevent sugar from crystallizing. If unavailable, add 6 to 8 drops of lemon juice to the syrup when it is almost cooked to prevent crystallization.

Put the pan containing the boiling hot sugar syrup on a pot holder and tip it to the side to dip strawberries, one at a time, into the hot syrup, making sure that each berry is completely submerged so that it is coated all around.
Set the coated berries on the oiled tray. The sugar will harden around them. Set aside until serving time.

To assemble, adorn the fondant-covered brownie waffles with glazed berries and serve immediately.

Of course I think I’d prefer just some fresh strawberries or fruit on top with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Whatever topping you desire, go for it. There are no rules when it comes to eating waffles.

Enjoy!