We cannot get enough of these waffles with roasted plums, mascarpone and cactus pear syrup. The recipe for the cactus pear syrup comes courtesy of Graham Isaacson of Blue Water Café in Cape Town. You could buy ready-made syrup at delis and farm stalls but it usually contains a fair amount of colouring. Here, you still get that rosy hue, but with all the goodness.
DRINK: De Wetshof Edeloes
Wafles with roasted plums, mascarpone and cactus pear syrup
Ingredients
CACTUS PEAR SYRUP
- 1kg cactus pears, peeled and diced
- 750g white sugar
- 150ml lemon juice
WAFFLES
- 125g butter, softened
- 60ml sugar
- 15ml vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- a pinch of lemon zest
- 250g cake flour
- 5ml baking powder
- 200ml milk
- 9 plums, quartered
- 250ml mascarpone
- pomegranate seeds, to garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
For the syrup, combine all the ingredients in a large, heavy-based pot and boil gently for 45 minutes. Strain to remove the pips and discard. Cool and store in sterilised glass jars or bottles in the fridge.
To make the waffles, cream the butter, sugar and vanilla essence together until light and foamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating continuously. Add the lemon zest.
Sift the flour and baking powder together. Add it little by little to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk. If the mixture is still too thick, add a bit more milk until the consistency of thick cream is reached. Use 50ml of batter per waffle and cook in a waffle maker for 2 minutes.
Place the plums on a baking tray and roast in the oven until sticky but firm, about 10 minutes.
Place a waffle on a plate and top with a heaped tablespoon of mascarpone and 3 plum wedges. Make a stack by repeating with another waffle, some mascarpone and 3 plum wedges. Top each stack with a waffle, sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds and drizzle the cactus pear syrup over. Serve immediately.
