Fall Belgian Waffles with Persimmon and Mandarin Orange Compote

Persimmons are one of those acquired tastes, I remember always in the fall and off to the Italian market to do our weekend shopping. My parents would always buy a case of persimmons and bring them home. These were ripe and soft and when you bit into them they were very fleshy and gooey, a very messy affair they were. Did I like them as a child? not really, I didn't like that soft slimy texture, yes they were very sweet but could not get over that feel in my mouth. Well nowadays they have many varieties of persimmons and some are a bit more firm. They are not as slimy or fleshy in texture as I remember them and as usual my parents are in abundant supply of them, and it is how we came to have them in our fruit basket. One thing I have to say whether here in Canada or in Rome, going to our parents places we are always leaving with bags of goods.

I always say to Nicoletta shopping at the mom and pop store is great and you can't beat those prices, well free is always good for the pocket book lol! So that being said, it is early morning once again and I am not one to sleep in late so I am making waffles, batter is mixed and waffle iron is hot, and first waffle is on. Nicoletta has awaken from the smell of the waffles cooking and when she comes down eyes half open as they are usually in the morning, lips waking up and gathering enough energy for a smile to form, a quick scan of the island and she takes the persimmons which she loves and peels and cuts it up. I am thinking a great partner for the persimmon is mandarin orange super sweet and juicy, and this combo will be great with the crispiness of the Belgian waffles.

The waffles light and airy, crispy on the edges, I got the recipe from food network on line recipes and added a bit of my own ideas to it, some vanilla, lemon zest and instead of blending the egg together separating the egg and beating the egg whites to a nice whip cream consistency, then lovingly and carefully folding them into the batter, this allows lots of air into the mix, hence the lightness of this waffles.

The colors of the persimmons and mandarin strike vibrant orange  out on the canvas of golden brown hues of the Belgian waffle. The smooth texture of the fruit along with that crispy exterior and soft flavorful interior of the waffle exceeds anyone's expectations. A beautiful drizzling of organic pure maple syrup adds that final just what this dish needed and an aromatic slow brewed coffee to wash it all down makes this a morning not to forget.

I would have to say that my first experience with waffles were store bought, frozen, put it in your toaster waffles, and didn't really know of Belgian waffles till my later teens, and discovering brunch buffets, it is there where that light crispy taste and the abundance of fruit topping along with maple syrup and sometimes whip cream became my buffet mantra. These days getting older and watching what we eat we don't create towers of calories, just keep it simple with some compote and syrup leaving the Belgian waffle to be the star of the show. So hats off to a guy and his wife who in the 60's visited the worlds fair  in New York and brought their waffle recipe to the west. Back then known as the Brussels waffle but later he renamed it because people were not familiar with where Brussels was but knew Belgian so hence, the Belgian Waffle came to be. I love these stories, so beautiful, cultures meeting cultures, diversities harmonizing, and what better way than through food.

Have a beautiful Sunday  morning and enjoy these delicious Fall Belgian Waffles with Persimmons and Mandarin Orange Compote!

Today's song: "Good Morning" by John Legend

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Fall Belgian Waffles with Persimmon and Mandarin Orange Compote

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• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 7 waffles, ¾ cup compote 1x

Ingredients

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• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ¾ cups sugar
• 3 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ cups rice milk
• 2 eggs separated
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup melted butter

Compote:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 persimmons
• 1 mandarin orange
• 1 cup of orange or tropical juice
• 1 table spoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon honey

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Instructions

1. Pre heat waffle iron to a medium heat
2. In a bowl sift flour, baking powder, and sugar.
3. In another bowl combine milk, egg yolks, butter, and vanilla.
4. Beat eggs white in another bowl till peaks form.
5. Fold egg whites into batter gently.
6. Pour batter into iron just covering grill plate, close and turn.
7. When ringer sounds turn back around and take waffle out of iron.

Compote:

1. Wash, peel and cut persimmons into slices.
2. Peel and clean mandarin slices and cut each wedge in half.
3. In a saute pan melt butter toss in persimmons and mandarin pieces.
4. Saute for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
5. Slowly add juice, brown sugar, and honey.
6. Simmer till sauce thickens a bit, you can add more juice if it thickens too much.
7. Cook till desired thickness.
8. Ready to serve.

Notes

To keep waffles warm place in a 200 F oven on a parchment lined cookie sheet. This will keep the waffles crisp.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes

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Loreto

When I am not cooking, I enjoy playing musical instruments, singing, writing. I have learned over the years to live in gratitude and enjoy the moment.