Pumpkin Waffles

I Love Waffles,
And pumpkins, so I guess that makes these (one of) my favorites waffles. It's like having pumpkin pie for breakfast. There is an ultimate pumpkin waffle recipe out there, it's so good I wish I had been the one to come up with it, but if you devote an entire blog to finding 'the best' recipe, can't say I'm surprised they did. http://pumpkinwaffles.wordpress.com/ultimate-pumpkin-waffle-recipe/ It is the ultimate pumpkin waffle recipe and it goes great with whipped cream and carmelised pumpkin seeds. I like to use part buckwheat flour and part all purpose flour instead though. Canned Pumpkin puree isn't available here, so I make my own from fresh pumpkins.

Pumpkin Puree:
To make the pumpkin puree, cut the pumpkin in four pieces and remove the pulp and seeds using an ice-cream scoop. Put the seeds and pulp into a bowl of water to remove the seeds. You can either dry them overnight or for an hour in a 50C/120F oven. Next peel the pumpkin and cut into 1 inch squares.Boil in a large pot covered in water for half an hour on medium heat. Drain and mash using a potato masher. My pumpkin yielded 1&1/2 cups pumpkin puree.



To make caramel-covered pumpkin seeds, melt 2 tablespoons butter over low heat, then add 3 tablespoons brown sugar. After one minute, add the dried pumpkin seeds and stir, cooking over low heat for 3 minutes, until the mixture turns amber in color. Then place the seeds on a silicone baking sheet, spreading them into a single layer until they harden.

Pumpkin Waffles:

(Adapted from Ultimate Pumpkin Waffle Recipe.com)

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar

• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour & 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and warm

Method:

Pre-heat you waffle iron

1. Combine sugar,cornstarch,flours,baking powder and spices in a large bowl. In a second bowl combine milk,pumpkin puree,egg yolks and the butter.

2. Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Combine the dry and wet ingredients thoroughly, then fold in the egg whites. 

3. Grease the waffle iron and spoon in a fourth of the mixture. Bake for 3 minutes.

4. Top with whipped cream and caramel-covered pumpkin seeds.