Recipe Harriet Boucher, Images Ashlee Decaires
One way to win over mum is to whip these up for a breakfast-in-bed treat! You can make the plums well in advance if they are bountiful. Warm them up before serving if they aren’t fresh out of the oven. The dukkha praline adds a nutty, sweet but savoury crunch that brings it all together, but the waffles and plums alone will also do the trick.
Roasted Plums
1kg Black Doris Plums
3 tsp rose water
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup white sugar
Cut the plums in half and remove the stone. Place cut side up on a tray. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, rose water and vanilla. Mix to combine, then smear over the plums. Make sure the plums are fully covered in the sugar mix.
Bake in the oven at 210°C for 20–25 minutes or until the sugar is syrupy and the plums are soft but still hold their shape.
Cinnamon Waffles
115g butter
2 cups flour
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 large eggs
1½ cups milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
Melt the butter in the microwave, then set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the batter.
Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to break up any lumps.
Whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla together, then slowly whisk in the melted butter. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir until just combined.
Heat the waffle iron according to the instructions. Coat the waffle iron with cooking spray, then pour the recommended batter quantity in, depending on the size of your machine.
Bake the waffle until the batter is cooked through. Note that due to the cinnamon and brown sugar, this waffle mix may look darker than a standard batter!
Sweet Dukkha Praline
1 cup of nuts (I use a combination of hazelnuts, pine nuts, walnuts and almonds)
¼ cup sesame seeds
1½ tsp fennel seeds
pinch of flaky salt
1 cup white sugar
¼ cup water
Pre heat the oven to 160°C.
Place the nuts, sesame seeds, fennel seeds and salt on a tray and toast for 5–10 minutes, until lightly golden.
Transfer to a mortar and pestle (or a blender) and gently crush, keeping it a bit chunky.
Place the sugar and water into a small saucepan, bring to a boil quickly (do not stir), then turn it down to a medium-low heat. Keep an eye on it the whole time, giving it a swirl if needed to even out the colouring. Once the sugar turns a rich amber colour (this will happen very quickly so keep an eye on it), quickly pour in the dukkha and give it a brief stir, then pour onto a lined baking tray and spread out with a spatula.
Allow the praline to cool, then smash with the end of a wooden rolling pin or a meat mallet to get chunky pieces, or blitz in a high-powered blender to get a finer, sweet nutty crumb.
To construct the waffles, place 1–2 waffles on a plate. Dollop some whipped cream or mascarpone on top, then place a few warm roasted plums around the cream, making sure you drizzle some roasting liquid over the waffle. Sprinkle some praline across the waffles and serve alongside a hot coffee or tea.
