Eating in?

I love to cook. I especially love to bake. So, as I sat in Leonidas, eating my latest Liege, I wondered "Would I be able to make my own Liege waffles at home?" It certainly would save me a bit of money...


Turns out, it's not as easy as it seems - nor would making my own save me much money. Regular waffle irons are not sufficient, it's difficult to find the needed ingredients, and, according to the experts, the "common" Liege waffle recipe yields a poor product. 


After Googling for a while I was able to find the mother of all recipes - This recipe is the product of researching waffle recipes from the past 200+ years, studying artisanal Belgian street vendor techniques, and buying the right tools (a 35lbs. Krampouz Liege waffle iron). Thanks to http://liegewaffle.wordpress.com/liege-waffle-recipe-liege-gaufre-recette/ for finding the "right" way to make a Liege, even if the process is a bit too complicated and expensive for your average grad student...


Although, it might be worth it if it yields a waffle that caramelizes like this... *drool*

INGREDIENTS
makes 5 Gaufres Liège

• 1 1/2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 1/4 cup scalded whole milk at 110-115 degrees
• 2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. of water at 110-115 degrees
• 2 cups King Arthur Bread flour
• 1 large room temperature egg, lightly beaten
• 1Tbsp. + 1 tsp. light brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 8 1/2 Tbsp. soft room temperature unsalted butter
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup Belgian Pearl Sugar (“Lars Own” brand is an excellent choice)

DIRECTIONS

1. Place yeast, milk, and water into the workbowl of a stand mixer. Stir for a few seconds to moisten the yeast.

2. Add the egg and 1/3 of the total flour. Mix to blend. Scrape down sides of bowl.

3. Sprinkle remaining flour over the mixture, but do not stir it in. Cover and let stand 75-90 minutes (at the end of that time, you’ll notice the batter bubbling up through the cover of flour).

4. Add brown sugar and salt to the workbowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed – just to blend.

5. With machine on low, add honey and vanilla. Then add 2 Tbsp. of butter at a time. Mix 4 minutes at medium-low speed; scrape down sides once or twice in that period. Let the dough rest for 1 minute and then continue to mix for 2 minutes. If you measured your ingredients perfectly, the dough will be sticking to the sides of the bowl in the last minute of mixing and then, in the last 30 seconds of so, will start to ball-up on the paddle. If this does not happen, let the dough rest for 1 more minute and mix for another 2 minutes. Whatever the outcome of the extra mixing, proceed to Step 6.

6. Scrape the dough into a large bowl, sprinkle lightly with flour, cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 4 hours. This step is crucial for developing the flavor.

7. REFRIGERATE FOR 30 MINUTES BEFORE PROCEEDING TO STEP #8. This is essential. The yeast respiration must be slowed before continuing.

8. Stir the dough down (meaning: gently deflate the gases from the dough, by pressing on it with a rubber spatula), scrape it onto a piece of plastic wrap, and then use the spatula to press the dough into a long rectangle. Fold that rectangle over on itself (by thirds – like a letter) so that you have a square of dough. Wrap it in plastic, weigh it down a bit (I put two heavy dinner plates on top of it) and refrigerate overnight.

9. The next day, place the cold dough (it will be quite firm) in a large bowl and add all of the pearl sugar to a bowl. It will seem like a lot of sugar, but it’s supposed to be  Mix it into the dough by hand until the chunks are well-distrubuted. Once mixed, divide the dough into 5 pieces of equal size.

10. Shape each chunk into an oval ball (like a football without the pointy ends) and let it rise (covered loosely in plastic wrap) for exactly 90 minutes.

11. If you have a professional waffle iron (meaning: it’s cast iron and weighs over 20 pounds) cook at exactly 365-370 degrees (the max temp before sugar begins to burn/decompose) for approximately 2 minutes.** Give each waffle a few minutes to cool slightly before eating. No syrup or toppings are needed, unless you’d like to add some fruit or a dusting of powdered sugar; they’re quite sweet on their own.

** If you have a regular waffle iron, heat the iron to 420 degrees (hint: many regular waffle irons go up to and over 550 degrees at their highest setting) , place the dough on the iron, and immediately unplug it or turn the temp dial all the way down. Otherwise, the sugar will burn.

Leonidas

My next stop is Leonidas Chocolaterie, a small chocolate shop in Near North, close to Loyola Chicago's campus. When you walk in, you feel like you've been transported to Europe - little cafe tables spot the L-shaped sitting area that wraps around the chocolate counter (that is fully stocked, I might add). It smells delicious, but not as strongly of waffles as Baladoche. That is, however, because their main item is not the Liege waffle - it's chocolate. The young people working the counter are very nice and helpful, but not in a pushy way. They make your waffle fresh to order, and will bring it out to you when it's ready.


Again, I ordered a plain Liege sprinkled with pearled sugar (at $3.95, cheaper than Baladoche). Even the options with gelato/fancy toppings are less expensive! Plus, you can order a homemade, REAL hot chocolate to go with your waffle. Hard to beat that.

The atmosphere is quite cozy and fun. I would not recommend coming here with a large group though - the space and seating is quite limited. Nor can you come here late night - it closed at 8 p.m. the evening I went. BUT, I must say, my experience at Leonidas was much better than Baladoche - the people, the atmosphere, and even the waffle. Definitely my favorite so far! I can't wait to go back when it's warmer, and they have their outdoor seating area set up...


Take the el here - it's barely a block from the Chicago Red Line stop (and for me, a very short walk!!!), but parking would be difficult and/or expensive.


Leonidas Chocolaterie
59 E Chicago Ave.
(between Wabash Ave & Rush St) Chicago, IL 60611


www.leonidas-usa.com

Baladoché

http://www.baladoche.com/

2905 N Clark St
(between Oakdale Ave & Surf St) Chicago, IL 60657

Closest CTA stop: Wellington (Purple Express or Brown)

My quest begins at Baladoché, a small store-front shop in the Lakeview neighborhood. I dragged several friends along with me, just so I didn't have to sample everything by myself. As we approached the store, the sweet aroma of fresh waffles drew us in. And, after seeing the sign outside and stopping for a quick photo-op (I won't go into their choice of advertising here), we went in. 

We were promptly greeted by the young woman behind the counter, who, after asking if we had ever been there before (answer: no), started on a long, drawn-out, theatrical description of the history of the Liege waffle and its ingredients, as well as all of the other Euro-imports the shop sells. It took forever to make all of our waffles - because she wouldn't stop talking as she made them - and she kept trying to sell us on different combinations. Point to take away: don't go in here if you want a "quick" waffle, or if over-the-top sales pitches really annoy you.

Once we had our waffles, we scrounged up some seats. The store was steamy and a little too warm, and the seats were hard to come by. The feel of the restaurant wasn't too cozy. The waffles, though, *gasp* were so good. I ordered the simple, no-frills Liege, topped with pearled sugar, and my friend ordered a Liege topped with two scoops of nocciola (hazelnut) and dark chocolate gelato. 

While this was all good, since the "ambiance" wasn't my style, and at $5 for a simple Liege with a sprinkle of pearled sugar on top (and even more for the fancy one...), I won't be back for a while.

Let's eat

Liege waffles (REAL Belgian waffles) are nothing like the Belgian waffle you order for breakfast at the place around the corner. These waffles, American "Belgian waffles," are made from a pancake-like batter and are often served crispy with butter and syrup, or if you're feeling adventurous, with a sugary strawberry concoction and whipped cream.

Liege waffles are made with more of a dough. This dough is yeast-based and contains Belgian pearled sugar which caramelizes throughout the waffle as it cooks. This caramelization, combined with the chewy inside of the cooked waffle and the slightly crispy outside is an entirely unique experience. Nothing can quite compare with a fresh, hot Liege waffle, sprinkled with pearl sugar, and served with a cappuccino. Or, if you prefer, a Liege waffle topped with scoops of gelato, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream.

That being said, finding Liege waffles outside of Belgium is not the easiest task. Luckily, in a city as diverse and foodie-oriented as Chicago, one has several options. To find these places, you simply need to do a little research. Once you've found these places, the next step is obvious - go try them!! But, if you are like a majority of Chicagoans, you don't have a lot of time to go hunt down the perfect Liege waffle. But that's more than okay - I'll help you out. Over the next few days I'll be visiting the Liege waffle places I've found in the Gold Coast/Lincoln Park area and tell you whether they're worth your time or not.

Laat eten!