liege waffles are a type of belgian waffle, yeast-risen with pearl sugar added to give it a distinctive crunch. pearl sugar, unlike normal sugar, are larger, coarser and do not melt on high heat therefore they retain their shape after baking. in the past when i didn't have much baking experience, i've always thought there's only one type of waffle and thats the liquidy kind you normally make in a waffle maker and eaten with syrup or ice cream. so when i came across this type of cutesy belgian waffle at starbucks, i tried to replicate it by making it in my waffle maker and was dismayed that it could not "retain" its shape! it was only much later that i realized that this sort of waffle are yeast-risen and are made from a round dough. very silly of me.


i therefore went out to buy a stove-top waffle maker and with the swedish pearl sugar i got from the baking supplies store, i made these. there were a plethora of recipes out there, very happy to come across this one because it was really very good. the waffles were slightly more work since you need to knead it like you would a bread dough and proof it but the texture was great - crisp on the outside, soft and crunchy on the inside and it smells amazing of vanilla and butter. definitely making these again! my only gripe was that dividing the dough into 6 equal portions were still rather large in my opinion so i would probably do 8 portions next time.

on an unrelated note, just a friendly reminder to remind you guys to save recipes onto your OWN pc/tablet/email whenever you come across any that you'd like to try. don't just bookmark the site or blog thinking that you'll just refer to the recipe from there later on. i've come across blogs that are put private without any warning, leaving readers to beg to be invited back in because "my family's favorites are in there and i can't access your blog now. send me an invitation, pretty please?" sort of thing. don't expect blogs or websites to be up there forever because anything that can happen, will. murphy's law. you know it too, right?

i've heard about buckwheat pancakes but never had the desire to make them in the past. i didn't really like its dull color, i also did not want to stock up too many varieties of flours that i think i would only be using once or twice. on the contrary, ever since i started to eat healthy, i began taking an interest on the different types to substitute for wheat flour. so far i've bought buckwheat, chickpea, quinoa and cornmeal flours and i'm very eager to start experimenting. so, heres buckwheat pancakes for a start!

moffles are mochi waffles that are currently a big hit in japan! crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, they can be paired with either a sweet or savory topping. they can also be eaten like a sandwich with a filling. i made these for breakfast this morning and didn't feel like using my DSLR so i just took a pic with my phone.

crêpe suzette is a traditional french dessert consisting of a crêpe with an orange sauce, topped with orange liqueur then serve flambéed. though a dessert, i made these for breakfast this morning (without the flambé of course) and it was really good.

i believe taiyaki, or japanese fish-shaped pancake requires no further introduction. it must be one of the most common snacks around that i don't even take second glances whenever i pass by stalls selling them, at least not until some of the interesting flavors like chocolate banana and pumpkin started appearing.

today, i finally plucked up the courage to attempt another pancake recipe and this time, a japanese one. ever since i succeeded in making those fluffy pancakes sometime back and gotten rave reviews from many readers, i didn't dare experiment anymore. therefore i've been sticking to the same recipe for the past 3 years but i'm so glad i tried these coz they were so good! i can safely say my favorite pancake recipe has now found its match. these japanese hotcakes or hottokēki are thicker and sweeter than their western counterpart and dare i say, better. they're really popular in japan and many people use the morinaga pancake mix but making them from scratch is actually pretty easy and rewarding.

nothing beats having waffles in the morning or better yet, gingerbread waffles! i recently bought a waffle maker (brand is waring pro) and have been putting it into really good use. i tried out different recipes as well as some interesting flavors like matcha and chocolate and since i missed out making gingerbread cookies during x'mas, gingerbread waffles it shall be!

i don't think there was ever once i would polish off a whole punnet of strawberries in one sitting but ever since i discovered eating them with balsamic vinegar & sugar, it was all too effortless to do so. basically i think the strawberries we get in singapore are pretty sucky so they need some dressing up. macerating makes the berries extra juicy as the process draws out the juices and enhances its natural sweetness.

pajeon, or korean scallion pancake is sooo difficult to get it right i'm not sure why. so far i've not eaten a good one even at korean restaurants or eateries coz they're either too floury or oily so i thought i'd wanna try my hands on these. i first set my eyes on the one by david lebovitz after looking through several recipes. made it and didn't like it. the batter was too thick it had no chance to spread hence i ended up with a really thick pancake which was slightly uncooked in the middle.

frankly, my previous failed attempt on pancakes left me feeling embarrassed much more than anything else. for someone who's got almost 4 years of experience in baking and has dabbled with countless of complicated bakes, there was no reason why i could fail in such simple stuff like pancakes (yes i know i've said that before). i was really determined to get it right and i'm glad i didn't have to wait long. i got it right on the next attempt, all thanks to this video on youtube :D i reckon nothing beats watching a video coz it lets u see exactly how its being done, consistency everything. watching beats studying & reading combined and i'm so glad i decided to go on youtube instead.