Peach Melba Waffles

My family is staying with me and this morning my mom suggested waffles for breakfast. Quick, easy, simple crowd-pleaser, right? Not by the time I’m done with them! Honestly, I didn’t set out to make anything fancy-schmancy, but when I walked into the kitchen I could smell the peaches sitting in the basket. I knew I needed to use them soon so I decided to top the waffles with them. But, went my thinking, I bought them to try a recipe for Peach Melba I’d seen and been dreaming out for a few weeks now. I was holding off making the Peach Melba because I wanted to make my own vanilla ice cream and had just not gotten around to it yet. I also have a tin of Bird’s Custard Powder that I’d bought a few weeks ago. The kids had been begging me to make some custard from it ever since.

~ ~ ~ Funny story ~ ~ ~

I was looking for Bird’s Custard Powder to use in a Nigella recipe, well, a few, actually. I’d been looking at the local grocery stores and a few specially shops and hadn’t found it. I stopped by the co-op in Belfast for something else and while I was there decided to see if they had any. They did! I was so excited! I had previously told the kids what I was on the lookout for and when I found it they both shrieked, ‘bird powder, bird powder, bird powder!!!!!’ They told everyone they met in the store that we were going to have custard made from ‘bird powder'!!!!!’ They hounded me for several days (until their short little attention spans forgot about it) to make them custard from ‘bird powder!!!!’ I don’t even want to think about what custard made from ‘bird powder!!!!’ would taste like!

So, anywho, waffles. It was an extra effort, but I was tethered to the kitchen anyhow making a double batch of waffles, so I had plenty of time to make a few extras. The raspberry sauce takes just a few seconds, the custard sauce takes a few minutes and the poached peaches are a breeze. This is definitely a recipe you could knock people’s socks off with, a great one for houseguests!

Peach Melba Waffles

Adapted from Alton Brown and Nigella Lawson and Bird’s Custard Powder

For the waffles: 2 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups buttermilk

3 eggs

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat your waffle iron.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a medium bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs and butter.

Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture, whisk well to combine..

Portion into your waffle iron and cook until the waffles are golden brown and delicious!

While those are cooking . . . .

For the peaches: 3 cups of water

3 1/2 cups of sugar

1 split vanilla bean

2 tablespoons lemon juice

8 peaches

Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits.

In a large pan combine the water, sugar, vanilla bean and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Turn the heat down to a low simmer and add the peaches.

Poach the peaches 2-3 minute on each side. Remove to a plate. Carefully (those suckers will be HOT!) peel the skins off the peaches.

For the raspberry sauce: 3 cups of raspberries (I thawed some frozen ones)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Combine raspberries, powdered sugar, and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor or blender.

Pulse to combine.

Push mixture through a strainer. Done!

For the custard sauce: 2 tablespoons Bird’s Custard Powder

1 pint whole milk

1/3 cup sugar

In a medium bowl mix the powder with a few tablespoons of the milk to make a thick paste.

In a small saucepan, heat the milk. Take it off the heat when it starts to bubble.

Pour into the custard paste and whisk to combine.

Return mixture to the saucepan and heat until thickened, 3-4 minutes.

To assemble the waffles:

Place a waffle on the plate.

Place two peach halves on the waffle.

Spoon raspberry sauce over the waffles, drizzle over the pancakes.

Drizzle custard sauce over the waffle.

Serve. Swoon. Enjoy!