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Rothrandir said:
sorry ab, i don't know any better /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif i like fluffy pancakes and jamima /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
if you come over to my house and cook me come crepes though, i'm sure i'll agree with you /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
saaby, precooked /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/twak.gif how can you eat that crap?
the best way to eat a waffle:
?brand belgium waffle mix
put it into a round waffle maker
after it is golden, take it out and put it in a plastic bag so it can get all soft
pour crap-loads of cherry pie filling on the top
pour powdered sugar on the top
squirt *real* whipping cream on the top
eat
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OK Rothrandir, get yourself up this way and I'll set you up with some crepes (best served too hot to touch, right off the skillet) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
As for your waffles from a box... SACRILEGE! Trust me you can do better! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif
OK, here's a short how-to for truly supreme waffles at home, with no exotic ingredients necessary:
Waffles done Right
1.5 cups *well-sifted* flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
3 eggs, separated (be sure not to get any of the yolks in the whites)
1.5 tbsp. sugar
1 to 1.5 cups milk (will depend on your flour)
4 tbsp. melted shortening (ie: butter is best here)
Procedure:
Sift dry ingredients together. If you want to use self-rising flour, I recommend the excellent "Brodie XXX" product - be sure to omit salt and baking powder if you do this. Put aside.
Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Add a little sugar to these partway through beating them to help stiffen them. You want this mixture to be very aerated and quite glossy. Put aside.
Beat egg yolks with remaining sugar. Beat this mixture until it becomes very pale yellow in colour. This should take a minute or so. You really can't overbeat this so don't stop too soon. When it gets very creamy and pale in colour you're done. Add 1 cup milk to this mixture, add melted shortening and mix well.
Add egg yolks and milk mixture to dry ingredients and mix well with a bowl whisk. Here is where you can tune the consistency of your batter by adding a little extra milk if you like. Go slow with this - take it in small amounts. If you add too much milk you will have to do a lot of fixing and it probably wont' work out quite right.
Finally, fold in the beaten egg whites. *Do not stir*. FOLD. You want the egg whites to be very fluffy and just incorporated. Do not over mix this batter. In fact from this point forward try to mix it as little as possible.
OK, now you're ready to start cooking your waffles. Cooking waffles is termed "baking" since like pancakes, they are a cake. Preheat your waffle iron. I prefer the excellent Chef's Choice waffle irons although the Villaware irons are also quite good. These irons are adjustable, will signal you when they are at the correct temperature, when they are done baking, etc. They also have adjustable texture (ie: crunchy throughout or crunchy outside, fluffy inside), floating hinges, an overflow spill tray, average 90 second baking time, etc. You can get these in the Belgian style with the very deep pockets or the common style. I prefer the non-Belgian form factor - seems to make for a more balanced final waffle.
Coat your waffle iron with a light vegetable oil. I use grapeseed oil because of its' high smokepoint although canola will be fine too. I use an air-pump Misto sprayer for this purpose.
Bake, apply toppings, enjoy waffle paradise! (Best results will be to eat these just as they come off the iron - crunchy outside and fluffy inside... wow!)
Enjoy!
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
A.
p.s. - the award-winning texture of these waffles is due to the care taken in preparation of the flour, eggs (yolks as well as whites), and attention to not overmixing the final batter.
p.p.s. - if you really want to lose your mind in waffle ecstacy serve these hot off the grill with fresh home-made vanilla bean custard icecream and some of that incredible Quebec maple syrup. (Geez, don't get me started on homemade icecream - that's another whole thread of its' own!) /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif