Recipe and photography by Safia Shakarchi
Most of us start the day with a good cup of coffee. It isn’t just the caffeine that gets us going – there’s something about the smell of freshly ground beans and the warmth of a morning brew that makes us ready to take on the day ahead, even in the summer.
These deliciously indulgent breakfast waffles crank that morning coffee fix up a notch while making the most of the season’s best fruit.
The browned butter and cherries make these waffles the perfect complement to many nutty South American coffee beans or fruitier Ethiopian varieties. Cherries are also at their best in July, and there are few better ways to enjoy them than in a warm, syrupy compote drizzled over coffee-laced waffles.
Ingredients (serves 6)
For the waffles
80g unsalted butter
2tbsp espresso powder
300ml milk
300g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
3 eggs
60g caster sugar
For the cherries
300g cherries (150g halved and pitted)
125ml water
2tbsp caster sugar
Beans of 1 vanilla pod (or 1tsp vanilla bean extract)
For the cream
300ml double cream
1tbsp espresso powder
To prepare the cherries, bring the water, caster sugar and vanilla to the boil in a small saucepan and allow the sugar to dissolve. Add the halved cherries to the pan along with a handful of whole cherries and poach in the syrup for 2-3 minutes, or until they have softened and begun to release their juices. Use a slotted spoon to carefully transfer the cherries to a bowl to cool. Bring the remaining liquid to the boil again and cook until reduced to a thick syrup. You can keep this at a simmer while you make the batter.
To make the waffles, melt the butter over a medium heat and allow to bubble gently until it turns a golden brown and emits a nutty smell. Watch this carefully as the butter can go from brown to burnt very quickly. Remove from the heat and transfer to a heatproof bowl to cool.
In a jug, dissolve the espresso powder in the milk and set aside to infuse briefly. Combine the flour with the baking powder in a separate bowl. Beat the eggs together with the sugar and whisk in one-third of the milk. Once incorporated, add in one third of the flour. Repeat and alternate with the remaining milk and flour. Finally, whisk in the cooled butter.
Preheat a waffle iron to a medium-high heat. Ladle the batter across the surface and into each crevice. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Carefully remove the waffle with tongs or a spatula, and keep warm on a plate loosely covered with foil while you repeat with the remaining batter. Whip the cream with the espresso powder. Add the cherries back to the saucepan and briefly toss in the warm syrup. Top two waffle quarters with a dollop of cream and a few spoonfuls of cherries, along with a few remaining whole cherries. Enjoy with your morning cup of coffee.
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