the classic belgian waffle

Well, sorta. Sorta? Why sorta? 'cause the real Belgian waffle uses yeast in the recipe, and i went the baking powder route (recipe courtesy emeril lagasse.) i wanted to save my last little bag of yeast for a bigger project.

my brother in law bought me a belgian waffle maker for christmas. i once made a rad scratch recipe which yielded prettier waffles (don't ask; i didn't write it down), but for the sake of getting something down with measurements, i tried out emeril's. not bad, but i ended up quartering the recipe, as i really don't have the stomach or fridge capacity for 6-8 waffles.

well anyway, here we go. modify your toppings and flavorings as you'd like. I like to add maple flavoring and crushed pecans to the batter--gives a nice texture, and goes very well with butter and syrup.

::gathering my raw materials::

Ingredients: (note: this is the 'quartered' recipe.)
1/2 cup sifted flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
dash of salt
1 egg, separated
1/2 tablespoon sugar
dash of teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
non-stick cooking spray

powdered sugar,fruit(fresh or frozen), whipped cream, or whatever else you want to eat waffles with.

Directions:

Preheat the waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. In 1 medium bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

I finally got to use one of my personal favorite kitchen gadgets--my egg separator! I'm sure you can see why I love it.

In a second bowl use the wooden spoon to beat together the egg yolks and sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and eggs have turned a pale yellow.

Add the vanilla extract, melted butter, and milk to the eggs and whisk to combine. Combine the egg-milk mixture with the flour mixture and whisk just until blended. Do not over mix.

In third bowl (or you can wash and reuse the bowl with the yolks, since it got mixed in with the flour), beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until soft peaks form, about 1 minute.

Using a rubber spatula (or in my case, a wooden spoon), gently fold the egg whites into the waffle batter. Do not overmix!

Coat the waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray and pour enough batter in iron to just cover waffle grid.

Close and cook as per manufacturer's instructions until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

But wait! Who wants a naked waffle?!?! This is the fun part. Thaw some frozen fruit, grab some whipped cream, drizzle some syrup, or slather some butter! For the visual bits, I decided on frozen fruit and powdered sugar. Place a little powdered sugar in a small sieve, and lightly dust over your waffles by tapping the side of your sieve.