Waffles

Though we readily associate waffles with Belgium today — the famous Liège and Brussels waffles in particular — their history is in fact far older.

As early as antiquity, the Greeks were making a kind of flat cake cooked between two heated metal plates. But it is above all in the Middle Ages, in Western Europe, that we find the ancestors of our waffles. In France they were called oublies: thin pastries cooked between two irons, sometimes patterned.

Over the centuries the recipes evolved, the batters grew richer, and waffles gradually became the golden, crisp, soft treats we know today.

France and Belgium both contributed to this story. And in the end it hardly matters who invented them: waffles are now one of those universal pleasures that cross generations without ever losing their power to delight.

Recovering the pleasure of a real waffle, another way

When I started working on this recipe I have to admit something: I never imagined I could recover the pleasure of a traditional waffle this faithfully while removing both animal products and gluten.

Because the challenge was a serious one.

How do you get a waffle crisp on the outside, deliciously soft inside, holding together perfectly, generous enough to fill, and above all recovering all the taste of a classic waffle?

Without eggs, without milk, without butter and without gluten, it might have seemed complicated.

And yet, after several attempts, I got there.

And I can tell you I am particularly happy and proud of the result.

I found everything I love about a real waffle: the crispness, the softness, the hold, the indulgence and that utterly nostalgic pleasure from the first bite.

A waffle you can pick up in your hands, top with melted chocolate, fresh fruit, plant-based whipped cream, homemade caramel, or simply dust with a little powdered sugar.

In short, a waffle as we love them.

Something to share with the family

For me, waffles are one of those pleasures deeply tied to childhood.

There is something joyful and comforting about making waffles together, about the smell filling the kitchen, about waiting impatiently for the iron to open and choosing what to put on top.

It is a moment of sharing, of simplicity and of indulgence.

And that is precisely the pleasure I wanted to make available to everyone.

To those who can no longer eat gluten, eggs or dairy, but also to those who choose not to eat animal products.

Because going without certain ingredients should never mean giving up the pleasures of baking.

That is the whole philosophy of Les Secrets d’une Cheffe: showing that you can take certain ingredients out of a recipe while bringing in new flavors, fine textures and a great deal of pleasure.

It is not simply a matter of replacing or removing. It is about rethinking recipes, exploring new possibilities and sometimes discovering pairings we would never have thought of.

And this waffle recipe is, to my eyes, a very fine demonstration of that.