What happens when this Haitian girl prepares caramelized banana waffles? Well, she adds her own twist to the batter, of course. But that is not all she does. She also dresses her waffles with local flavors. More on that in a bit. I need to tell you about my taste for waffles first.
Waffles are one of the very few breakfast items I actually have a taste for.
See, I don’t do breakfast. Actually, let me just say it out loud. I hate breakfast. Yes, I just said that. I am not a fan of the most important meal of the day. For as long as I can remember, I’ve never enjoyed breakfast. I never understood it. It never made sense to me that I could get hungry just a short two hours after indulging in it. So, I skipped it. And, I still do.
Now before you accuse my folks of bad parenting, let me just tell you that they tried. They tried eggs. I hated eggs. They tried oatmeal, cereals, yogurt. You name it. None of those worked. Perhaps they should have tried waffles. Maybe then I would have enjoyed breakfast.
Then again, they probably wouldn’t have solved the problem. I couldn’t eat waffles every day. They’re on my list of favorites. But I enjoy them with moderation. I only partake in a waffle feast once a month at most. I sometimes even go months without preparing them.
But I must say, when I do, I tend to go all out. I devote an entire morning to prepping them. Because, I like my waffles from scratch. Also, I like Belgian waffles. This means, preparing the batter takes a bit longer. But they’re worth the extra effort. Belgian waffles are rich and creamy. They’re perfect for my taste.
Now why on earth am I serving you caramelized banana waffles on here?
Because, as I mentioned above, I added my own twist to this recipe. I prepared my waffles with a Haitian flair. For starters, I enhanced my batter with lime zest and vanilla, just like any Haitian cook would. We add sweet spices to any sweet dish that calls for eggs. What can I say, we believe these spices help bury the eggy taste.
For seconds, waffles are as good as their topping is. And for these waffles, my topping was very Haitian. The bananas came straight from our lakou lakay, my family home backyard in Haiti. To caramelize them, I swapped regular sugar with our locally prepared rapadou. What is this rapadou nonsense I am talking about? It is a local artisan sugar prepared with pure sugarcane juice. That sugar is sold rolled into palm leaves. It has a taste that is kindred to that of molasses in solid form. A taste that reminds me of our bonbon sirop.
As if the rapadou wasn’t Haitian enough, I added another local favorite to the mix. I flambeed my caramelized bananas with Haitian rum. So let me ask you this, how much more Haitian could my caramelized banana waffles possibly get? 😉
Caramelized banana waffles with a hint of rum
Ingredients
For the waffles
- ½ cup + 6 tbps of flour
- 1 ½ tsp of baking power
- ¼ tsp of salt
- 1 egg separated
- ½ cup + 6 tbps of evaporated milk
- ½ cup of oil cup oil
- 1 lime zest
- 1 tsp of vanilla
For the caramelized banana
- 1 banana
- 2 tbsps of butter
- 2 tbsps of grated rapadou or sugar
- ½ tsp of cinnamon
- 1 tbsp of dark rum
Instructions
For the waffles
- In a bowl mix the flour, baking powder and salt
- Slowly whisk in the egg yolk, milk and oil
- Add the vanilla and lime zest
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg white until soft peaks form
- Carefully fold into the batter. Make sure not to mix too much so as not to deflate the batter
- Let stand for about 15 minutes to allow the flavors to develop
- Using a ladle, pour the batter in a hot waffle maker. I use a cast-iron waffle maker but an electrical one should work the same. Cook until golden brown
For the caramelized bananas
- Cut the banana into thick pieces
- In a skillet, melt the butter
- Add the bananas and cook until golden on both sides
- Add the cinnamon and rapadou (or sugar)
- Let caramelize
- Once your bananas are caramelized, turn off the heat
- Pour some dark rum over the mixture
- Carefully light it up with a long match
- Let it flambee until the flames die down
- Serve with your waffles