FOODIE CHATTER: ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY WAFFLE
The mighty waffle. My latest obsession.
I recently bought a waffle maker after resisting the temptation for years. I had always feared it would end up in the cupboard of unwanted electricals after a couple of uses. But then the Aldi aisle of dreams got me good and proper. And I found myself leaving the supermarket with a shiny electric waffle maker tucked under my arm and an excited grin on my face.
And that’s where my love affair with gluten-free waffles began 🙃
I’m quite sure that the waffle aficianados of this world would shudder at the very thought of me using a new-fangled plug-in waffle maker rather than a traditional waffle iron. But hands up honest, I simply don’t have the patience to wait for a waffle iron to heat up. When I decide that I want waffles, I want waffles. Like now.
And my electric waffle maker lets me go from craving waffles to demolishing waffles in a matter of minutes. Such is my obsession that I often keep a batch of waffle batter in the fridge to shorten the waiting time further 😅
Aside from the fact that you can go from ‘hmmmm, fancy a waffle’ to ‘mmmmm, eating a waffle’ in a very short space of time, my love affair with them really lies in their versatility. You can have sweet gluten-free waffles. Or savoury gluten-free waffles. Plain ones or flavoured ones. You can add yeast to your waffle batter (Belgian style) and let it develop more flavour in the fridge overnight. And then there’s chicken and waffles. Oh stop it!
And you can put literally whatever takes your fancy on top of them and they won’t judge you. They’ll just quietly soak up your toppings in the crevices while holding their form long enough for you to enjoy the contrast of the crunchy exterior and light, fluffy interior.
In light of all of this, how could you possibly *not* love a waffle?
My favourite gluten-free sweet waffle is one topped with mixed berries (heavy on the blackcurrants, please), a dollop of creme fraiche and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. But if you were to grab me by the scruff of the neck and hold a menu to my face, I’d go savoury every time. Well, almost 😊
My Sunday brunch these days tends to be a gluten-free savoury waffle with a few rashers of back bacon and a fried egg. Lovely stuff. Sets you right up for a roast dinner later in the day, that.
My latest ‘what can you do with a waffle?’ ponderings led me down the beer and cheese route. A seriously good combination of savoury flavours, which I felt could work well in a waffle. I wasn’t wrong!
I topped mine with a rarebit scramble (a Welsh rarebit sauce added to eggs, then scrambled), crispy onions and a few (token 😉) tomatoes.
It was sooooooo good.
You can make these at home using the bakery’s gluten-free savoury waffle mix. Simply sub 280ml of the liquid for beer (I used gluten-free stout) and add 50g each of extra mature cheddar and parmesan cheese.
So I think it’s safe to say that my waffle maker won’t be joining the sandwich toaster and slow cooker in the cupboard of unwanted electricals any time soon 🙃
