Happy Valentine’s Day…

To be honest, I’m actually not much of a Valentine’s Day fan. Having grown up in Germany when it wasn’t yet a thing over there I can still happily do without the rather commercial fuss. 

But I decided to use today’s date as an excuse for a breakfast of heart-shaped waffles in bed. And just as last year, I also decided that they might as well be red waffles then. 

Last year I had planned to make red velvet waffles but, annoyingly, I had forgotten to buy red food colouring and ended up with cocoa waffles instead. So I thought, I’ll make this year’s Valentine’s waffles red and I even remembered to buy red food colouring. But I still didn’t get red waffles…the dye wasn’t strong enough. That’s why the waffles here look rather brown, even though they have no cocoa or chocolate in them.

The receipe is based on a German receipe and the batter is slightly thinner than for American waffles. It therefore works better in a European Waffle Iron. Thanks to the fromage frais they are also a little lighter than American waffles. Which doesn’t need to stop you from topping the waffles with whipped cream and, since it is Valentine’s Day after all, some fresh passion fruit…

For 6-8 waffles you’ll need:

• 125g butter
• 80g caster sugar
• 125g fromage frais
• 200g plain flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 100ml milk

To serve:

• whipped cream
• a couple of passion fruits

With an electric whisk, whip up the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and whisk again, then add one egg after the other, whisking the batter in between. Add the vanilla essence and fromage frais and briefly whisk them in the batter

Finally add the flour and baking powder and, again using the electric whisk, slowly mix it under the batter whilst slowly pouring the milk in at the same time.

Heat your waffle iron and bake the waffles until they are a little crispy on the outside.

Let them cool a little (or they will get soggy) and top them with whipped cream and the fresh passion fruit pulp before enjoying them – in bed.