"Waffles: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Meal" by Tara Duggan

Age: Adult

Genre: Non-fiction, Cookbook

As a lover of all breakfast foods, the title Waffles: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Meal caught my eye and rumbled my tummy. As I browsed through the cookbook’s delicious-sounding recipes and drool-inducing photographs, I learned there are many variations on the standard waffle I have always enjoyed. The cookbook is divided up into five sections: All About Waffles, Breakfast and Brunch, Lunch and Dinner, Dessert, and Basic Recipes. In “All About Waffles,” the reader is given in-depth information on ingredients, equipment, tips and tricks, and even some waffle trivia. It is in this section that I learned how to properly prepare waffle batter to get the tastiest result, as well as how to reheat old waffles from the refrigerator (which comes in handy when you’ve made a large batch). Next come the recipes. “Breakfast and Brunch” waffles include Sour Cream-Orange, Lemon-Poppy Seed, and Yogurt with Honey Cream. The Lunch and Dinner Waffles reach to the savory side, with combinations like Zucchini-Asiago or Multigrain with Avocado and Tomato-Almond Pesto. The dessert section features such creations as S’mores, Coconut-Rice Waffles with Mangoes and Lime Cream, and Pineapple Waffles with Raw Sugar. Finally, the “Basic Recipes” section includes just what it states with nothing fancy required.

With so many options to choose from, I decided to try the recipe for Vanilla Bean Belgian Waffles with Whipped Cream and Strawberries. The directions were easy to follow and I only had to look up one word (macerate: it means “steep”). The ingredients were mostly ones I already had around the house, except for vanilla beans, which I had to get at a whole foods store. This particular recipe took a while to prepare because it required letting ingredients macerate (see, there’s my new word) for 30-60 minutes before cooking, so I would not recommend it for quick morning preparation. However, the waffles had a nice, vanilla taste that I enjoyed. I look forward to trying other recipes in the book as I explore the wonderful world of waffles. Though the savory waffles don’t appeal to me (I am a sweets kind of person and like my waffles that way), others may find the recipes give them some good ideas for enjoying waffles in a different style. I recommend this book for anyone who loves waffles and wants to get creative with preparing them.

Technical Note: I read this book as an electronic edition on a Nook Simple Touch e-reader, but the ingredients lists did not format correctly. Numbers for measurements appeared on different lines than the items being measured, making it impossible to correctly prepare the recipe from the e-reader screen.  The photos were also in black and white on my screen, making them less attractive. However, the electronic edition appeared fine on my computer screen with no layout problems and in full-color. I used the Adobe Digital Editions program to read the file, but was unable to print pages, so I had to retype the recipe to prevent myself from running back and forth from the computer to the kitchen while cooking.

Bibliographical Information:

Duggan, Tara. Waffles: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Meal. San Francisco: Weldon Owen, 2011.

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