Authentic Brussels waffles

Waffles are always enjoyable during the winter. Served plain or with a rich chocolate sauce, the sweet and warm pastry is a delight for children as well as grown ups. In Europe, Belgium is the capital of the waffle. If you do travel to Brussels, you absolutely need to taste the 2 main varieties: the Brussels waffle, a light and crispy waffle prepared with a yeast-leavened batter, and the Liege waffle, a richer, denser and chewier waffles.

The featured recipe is a delicious Brussels waffle prepared with a milk chocolate sauce. This recipe is the last one of our “100% Chocolate” special Fall edition, that featured 6 desserts from the amazing Stéphan Largorce’s book "Chocolat". We have prepared the waffle with a milk chocolate sauce that is usually preferred by children. You can however serve them with a teaspoon of honey, or plain with a dash of powdered sugar. We hope you will be tempted by this incredibly easy and delectable recipe.

Brussels waffles and milk chocolate sauce
(Recipe 6 - 8 large waffles)

Waffles
½ cup (110g) of butter
1 vanilla bean*
½ cup (100g) of sugar
2 eggs
2 ½ cup (310g) of all-purpose flour
½ tsp of baking powder
2 cups (500ml) of milk

* Can be replaced by 1 tsp of grated lemon rind

Milk chocolate Sauce
1 cup (250ml) of whole milk
Seeds from ½ vanilla bean
2 ½ oz (60g) of milk chocolate, grated
1 ¼ oz (30g) of dark chocolate grated
2 tbsp (16g) of powdered sugar
2 egg whites
½ tsp of cornstarch


Preparing the waffles

Melt the butter over a low heat and leave to cool. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the point of a knife.

Beat the sugar and the eggs together in a bowl. Sift the flour and baking powder. Gradually beat in the milk until you have a fairly liquid batter. Finally add the butter and the vanilla seeds.

Cook the waffles in a waffle-maker, and serve them while still warm with the milk chocolate sauce.

Preparing the milk chocolate sauce

Use a hand whisk to beat the milk and vanilla seeds over a low or medium heat then add both kinds of chocolate. Whisk the powdered sugar and egg whites in a bowl and fold in the cornstarch.

Pour the chocolate-milk mixture over the sugar-eggs mixture and transfer all to a pan. Bring to a simmering point, stirring constantly, then remove from the heat and serve warm.

Note
Recipe adapted from the book "Chocolat" by Stéphan Lagorce