Vanilla bean, vanilla extract and cream. In a waffle. It's pretty much a vanilla-lover's ultimate breakfast treat, no? A waffle that disables your ability to speak, to think. Well, at least in theory.
I hate to be such a killjoy but these waffles aren't as great as they sounded on paper. Texture wise, they were skimming the definition of nirvana. Spongey-cakey, not too dense yet not too light and perfectly treading the line between crisp and being too crisp. Really, I would give full marks for these waffles based on texture alone. Plus, they smelled heavenly while they were baking. What I was disappointed with was their flavour, or rather, the lack of it. They direly needed more sugar and the amount of vanilla that went in there wasn't justified.
Nevertheless, grab yourself a pat of salted butter and a shot-glass of maple syrup with these and all will be right with the world again.
Vanilla Cream Waffles
makes 2 round belgian-style waffles
adapted from Baking by Flavour
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cake flour
7/12 tsp baking powder
1/6 tsp ground nutmeg
1/12 tsp salt
33g butter, melted and cooled
2 medium eggs, divided
1 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar (if not serving waffles with syrup, add more)
100ml heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/6 vanilla bean, deseeded
pinch of cream of tartar
Sift the flours, baking powder, ground nutmeg and salt together into a bowl.
Whisk 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk, sugar, melted butter, cream, vanilla extract and vanilla bean together in a bowl in this order.
Whisk the remaining egg white with the cream of tartar until it reaches stiff peaks.
Whisk the flour mixture into the egg mixture just until no streaks of flour remain. Fold in the egg whites until just combined.
Lightly oil and preheat waffle iron. Pour batter into the waffle iron and bake according to manufacturer's instructions.
They are one of my favourites!
ReplyDeleteVanilla is a powerful “flavor potentiator,” meaning it enhances our ability to taste other foods including chocolate, coffee, fruit, and nuts, and boosts our perception of sweetness. While this is true for both pure and imitation vanilla, the choices are far from identical. Scientists have identified around 250 flavor and aroma compounds in real vanilla, while the artificial version has just one: vanillin, the predominant flavor in natural vanilla. (found on a website about vanilla)
ReplyDeleteThat being said, no matter how much vanilla you put in it, it won't change the flavor of the product, you will just taste everything else. You might try to add another flavor to the waffle, like orange or even caramel and see how they taste.