So Waffley Versatile

Fanny Cradock closes this part by blabbering on about a very particular tool of the trade. Luckily for me I bought a vintage, Italian one very recently, in perfectly unused condition, and I've been looking for an excuse to try it out! The stove-top Waffle Iron is not something I'd have expected Fanny to be blethering about, but as ever she is full of surprises. It's a lovely shiny piece of kitchen kit, I wonder how readily available they were back in Fannys time? Not that that would concern her of course, she'd continue to twaddle on about them before striking a deal with the importers and adding them to her catalogue...

I'm also not sure how well known or how popular waffles themselves were outside of the States. Not that that would stop Fanny babbling about them.These are obviously not the potato ones which became staples of the 80's tea times, but the ones more like biscuits and rolled into cones if you were fancy. Fanny was. Fanny gives them their French translation to boost their appeal - she chats about Les Gaufres Amèricaines.

Fanny starts her batter banter by combining perfectly ordinary (don't tell Wrights) self-raising flour with both bicarbonate of soda and baking powder in a roomy bowl. As the butter melts quietly on the stove, a beaten egg is dropped in and blended with a little milk until it makes a thick, springy dough. The remaining milk is very gradually but steadily beaten in too, once the dough is fairly smooth, and finally the butter, preferably with a trusty wooden spoon. The batter goes very glossy after this addition, and is worth the extra palaver.

Fanny prattles on with very particular instructions for the waffle iron. It needs to heated perfectly dry on both sides, over a low flame, which can be done while making the batter. When the batter is ready to go, brush the insides of the iron with a little melted butter or oil (or even better still with saindoux seemingly) or if like me you are feeling modern, spray some oil over the surfaces. Fanny says it must be very hot, and must smoke viciously and sizzle. Indeed it does. She plops a dollop of batter on while still over a moderate heat and spreads it out before closing the iron. I tried that, but it slid around a lot, so I just plonked it on and closed them, squidging the batter evenly.

Fanny's chatter is that if you overdo things and plop on too much batter it will escape out the sides, oozing and bubbling, so always have a clean, small knife to hand to cut it free. This turns out to be top advice until I get used the particular amounts for my iron. Fanny's final ramble of advice is to turn the iron over before checking if the first side is golden and cooked, and finishing off the underside. The waffles should never look a rather disconsolate beige. The finished waffles look great, crisp up once cooled and while warm wrap around the spindly thing that came with it to make (sort of) cones. My ice-cream would perhaps dribble from the bottom, but Fanny recommends serving simply with Maple Syrup and butter anyway. So I can dribble away quite happily while I gabble on about how great the waffle iron is...

Trellis Without Tears - Poor Man's Waffles?

Fanny is very proud of another invention next, and really made a splash of announcing it in this second instalment of her partwork. The first invention she laid claim to in this issue was the rather useful Garlic Oil, which is now available in almost every supermarket across the land. I get the feeling that this new invention will be harder to find on any tea time table ANYWHERE in the world, but I could be wrong. The modern-day, cynical part of me wonders if the invention was just an excuse to use the fabulous trellis tool from the Potato Flan top... So, here is the unveiling of Fanny's own invention, the Poor Man's Waffle! 

Essentially they are baked sheets of puff pastry cut to look like waffles and sandwiched with jam. Sorry if I don't sound overly enthusiastic about them... Maybe it's just a case that I don't consider waffles to be the food of gods or the very rich... But if like me you don't have a waffle machine in your kitchen (oh, I am poor!) and you have some puff pastry to use up, then maybe this one's for you!

So Fanny instructs me to roll out some of her six-minute rough puff pastry and use the trellis tool as before to create a lattice. I decide to roll it out using icing sugar for some added sweetness, but I must make it clear this is my on my own initiative. Sorry Fanny.

Then, simply cut two waffle shapes from the resulting circle, roll up the scraps and roll out again, this time cutting the same size shape with no lattice holes. Give them a quick brush with egg wash and bake until golden.

Fanny suggests spreading them with blackcurrant jelly before 'clapping' them together, but does say that we may use any jam or jelly. I still have some Bramble Jelly so that's what I use. I clap them together. Fanny claims these waffles are wonderful for times when you want to eat something without cream or custard. This is Fanny saying this, of course. Fanny does have the good grace to acknowledge that this recipe is simply a piece of 'little nonsense' so perhaps it was just an excuse to use the trellis tool after all. Still, a tasty snack, but I'd probably prefer just a slice of toast. Not as much fun.