A few days ago, the time had finally come: I bought a waffle iron for Belgian waffles. That may not sound very exciting, but this purchase was preceded by a looong period of deliberation. Do I need it – do I not need it – do I want it – but do I need it – I must have it – no, I don't. On Thursday, the time had finally come: I held my brand new waffle iron in my hands. And even though sweet recipes are already swirling through my head, it had to be a savoury recipe to inaugurate it: my Parmesan waffles with Italian filling.
Belgian waffles or heart-shaped waffles – that is the question here
I still remember my mother making us sweet waffles every now and then when we were children. We spread them thickly with jam and ate them with relish. She used a heart-shaped waffle iron, the kind that produces flat, round waffles that you can then tear apart into four hearts. It was an ancient thing (but that was a long time ago). You had to grease it really well every time so that the waffles would come off the grill plates.
For me, it was quite clear: I wanted a waffle iron for Belgian waffles. These are the thick ones with deep indentations, which are perfect for filling with honey, jam and Nutella when making sweet waffles! 🤎 I don't have a luxury model, but one that cost a reasonable € 25. Today was the first test: a light coating of oil is enough, and the waffles come off the grill plates perfectly. They could be a little crispier, but I still need to experiment with the heat control. I solved this problem by simply baking the finished waffles a little longer in the oven at 150°C.
Waffelburger Love
Starting with Parmesan waffles was simply in my head. I can't even explain how I came up with it. But cheese always works! And when you think of Parmesan, you immediately think of Italy. And there, buffalo mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and Prosciutto di Parma... at least I do 🤩. Some of my favourite foods! And that's how I came up with – voilá – a Caprese-style waffle burger. It's also very easy to make vegetarian by simply leaving out the prosciutto. I'm sure it would be easy to make vegan too, but I don't even want to think about replacing the Parmesan and buffalo mozzarella in this recipe with vegan substitutes... it would be such a shame.
It's easy to make a delicious stack burger using three waffles and any filling you like per serving. Of course, you can also use the waffles to make a ‘real’ burger and fill it with a juicy meat patty, melted cheese, greens and sauces. Just experiment!
I'll definitely be following up this savoury recipe with some sweet waffle treats soon. Until then, enjoy your Parmesan waffles! 😍
Parmesan waffles with buffalo mozzarella and prosciutto
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 150°C top/bottom heat.
- First prepare the filling: slice the buffalo mozzarella and tomatoes, chop the dried tomatoes into pieces.
- Grate the Parmesan cheese and mix all the ingredients for the waffle batter well. The batter should be thick and viscous. Season with salt to taste.
- Preheat the waffle iron and lightly grease the plates with oil. Bake 6 waffles from the batter until golden brown.The finished waffles are kept warm in the oven.
- Optional: Bake the waffles in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes to make them crispier.
- Fill three waffles per person with tomato slices, mozzarella, prosciutto and sun-dried tomatoes. Secure with skewers and top with rocket.
