Tag Archives: Will it waffle?

Tater Tot Waffles

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I like to have fun in the kitchen. One of my favourite games to play is “will it waffle?” I have had great success with croissant dough and halloumi cheese. It’s just so amusing to put stuff, other than waffle batter, into the waffle iron and see what happens. I have had less success with my other favourite kitchen game, “can you blend it?” Let’s just say that apple pie milkshake was not one of my greatest creations, and leave it at that.

I discovered the idea of using Tater Tots on bonappetit.com. They did a loaded tater tot waffle version, complete with bacon, chives, sour cream and cheddar. I left out the bacon and topped mine with a fried egg, because everything’s better with an egg on top, right?

The amount of Tater Tots you need to fill your waffle iron depends on the size and type of waffle iron you have. I have made it twice now, once in a Cuisinart Belgian waffle maker and once in a regular President Choice waffle maker. You will need to add a second layer of Tater Tots for a Belgian waffle maker, as the grooves are deeper.

Here’s a video to show how it all comes together:

The Tater Tots go in frozen. I discovered that the best way to ensure an even waffle is to let the tots cook for about 2-3 minutes. Then open the waffle iron and see if there are any gaps or holes. Fill them in with more tots and continue cooking for a total of about 9-12 minutes. I used a medium high heat.

Click here to print recipe for Loaded Tater Tot Waffles.

Everyone I made them for loved the nostalgia factor. Most had not had Tater Tots since they were a child. Shockingly, my friend Ed had never even heard of Tater Tots! Clearly a deprived child. I will be making these for hm very soon.

Winter Squash Salad with Waffled Halloumi Croutons and Pomegranate Vinaigrette

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After my successful venture with Croffles (Croissant-Waffles), I started to look at other ingredients in my fridge with the same lens. Will it waffle, I wondered. It seems like such a shame to let my waffle iron sit in the cupboard gathering dust, only to pull it out twice a year to make waffles.

I had a package of halloumi cheese about to expire so I decided to experiment. I heated the waffle iron to medium and sprayed it lightly with cooking spray. I tried a range of thicknesses and settled on 1/2 inch slices. Because halloumi is so firm, it waffled beautifully. I achieved a burnished golden brown colour and crispy edges, with that tell-tale squeak in the centre. Resounding success.

I decided to build a winter salad around these “halloumi croutons”. Check out this video to see how it all came together.

I started with butternut squash. Seasoned with salt, smoked paprika and a good drizzle of olive oil I roasted it until tender and browned. I like to cut the squash into small pieces to maximize the crispy surface area. Pro tip: Use a grapefruit spoon to scoop out the seeds and stringy fibres in the squash. The serrated edge of the spoon is the perfect tool for this.

For greens I decided on a mix of baby kale, micro arugula, and shredded raw Brussels sprouts. Arugula, frisée lettuce, radicchio, and Tuscan kale would all be good choices. You need a fairly bitter, assertive lettuce/green to counterbalance the sweet squash and mild, salty cheese.

If you have a food processor with a slicing disc, it produces julienned Brussels sprouts in seconds. If not, with a sharp knife and some patience, and it can be done by hand.

Every salad needs crunch. This one comes from spiced walnuts. If you have never made your own spiced nuts before, it’s quite simple. A lightly beaten egg white acts as the glue to help the spices stick to the nuts. I used a mix of sugar, salt, sumac and a pinch of cayenne. They only take about 12 minutes to toast and they keep for weeks in an airtight container. You can play around with the nuts and spices.

For the dressing, I created a sweet and tangy pomegranate vinaigrette. Pomegranate seeds were the final garnish, twinkling like glittering jewels.

Click here to print recipe for Winter Squash Salad with Waffled Halloumi Croutons and Pomegranate Vinaigrette.

Croffles (Croissant-Waffles)

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We all view the world through our own unique lens. My husband, for example, walks through life looking for ways to make the world a better place. From a macro perspective, by chairing a $400 million fundraising campaign to replace our city’s 100 year old hospital, right down to a micro perspective. The other day, I came into the kitchen found him on the floor, sorting and organizing the Tupperware lids so it would be easier to find a match for the containers.

I, on the other hand, walk through my day looking for ways to make life more beautiful. As my sister says, “We are cursed blessed with a strong sense of aesthetic.” We have text chats about the prettiest way to label storage baskets, and the optimal font choices for them. It matters to me that my spice drawer has identical bottles for all the spices, and that my pantry is organized with uniform glass jars, rather than the packages that the food is sold in. I think that’s why I love food photography so much. With each shoot, I get to create a beautiful scene. I feel so creatively fulfilled.

A unique way of viewing the world has led to some wonderful culinary creations. Remember the Cronut from 2013? Recently, some genius, came up with the Croffle, a croissant-waffle hybrid . Not sure who to credit with the idea, but it was clearly someone viewing the world through a lens of “Can you Waffle it?” The internet is filled with strange and wonderful things people have waffled.

I felt compelled to try my hand at the Croffle. There is an excellent French Bakery down the street from me, so I bought a bag of their frozen croissant dough. Instructions on the bag said to lay the frozen croissants on a baking sheet with a small bowl of water. Place the baking sheet in a cold oven and leave it there overnight to thaw and proof.

Check out how it all came together.

So, in answer to the cosmic question, “Can you waffle it?” , the answer is a resounding hell yes! Croissant dough in the waffle iron is awesome! I mean, what could be bad? Crispy AF on the outside and tender flaky layers within. A simple drizzle of maple syrup or dusting of icing sugar and all is right with the world, for a few minutes at least.