We're Back and We Brought Waffles

Another year and another Christmas come and gone. But what remain are the memories with friends and family; the sense of rest and restoration after working your butt off for three months of post-secondary schoolin'; and the presents. Or at the very least, some cash to balance out all that holiday giving.

Now, we've all received strange gifts through out the years. Knitted socks, balaclavas and a gift certificate to MacDonalds valued at $5.00 all make the list but Christmas is that time of the year where you can end up with something you would never purchase yourself, for better or for worse.

Case in point: the waffle iron.

Now, waffle irons are a great appliance. They make waffles. Not many other kitchen devices can live up to that claim.

Can my microwave make waffles? Nope.

What about my Magic Bullet? Probably not.

How about my toaster? Can it make waffles? Many signs would point to no.

But the better question is, who wakes up after 6 hours of sleep and goes, "I'm going to go buy a waffle iron today."? Well if that's you, then this recipe is for you and all you waffle lovers out there.



Gingerbread Belgian Waffles

What's In It:
-1/2 cup of water
-1 tsp of sugar
-2 1/4 (11 mL) tsp of active dry yeast
-1 1/2 ups of all-purpose flour
-1 cup of graham cracker crumbs
-1/4 cup of sugar
-pinch of salt
-1 tsp of ground ginger
-1/2 tsp of lemon zest, finely chopped
-2 cups of warm milk (any type will do)
-3 large eggs, separated
-1/2 cup of unsalted butter, melted and cooled
-1 tsp of vanilla extract

Makes six waffles




1. Let's start by combining the yeast and the tablespoon of sugar in a largemixing bowl. Now add the water and let stand for 10 minutes.



2. In a smaller bowl, mix together your dry ingredients: the flour, graham cracker crumbs, salt, ginger, lemon zest and the remaining sugar.



3. You can now add the milk, egg yolks, butter and vanilla to the yeast mixture and stir till everything's smooth.



4. Pour the dry ingredients into the yeast mixture and stir till smooth. You can use an electric mixer if you have one or stir everything together by hand.



5. Cover the batter with wax paper or a towel and it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.



6. While that's going on you can start beating the egg whites until stiff. If you're using an electric mixer, wait near the end of the 30 minutes to start. When peaks have formed in the egg whites, gently fold them into the batter. [Read: Don't just plop them on top of the batter like I did :(]



7. Pour the batter into your iron and you're set. Serve with any number of toppings. Maple syrup and vanilla ice cream are a fantastic addition and compliment the subtle gingersnap flavour of these waffles.