Belgian Liege Waffles, possibly the most perfect food on the face of this planet

When I was on my way to Brussels, Belgium from Antwep hopping back on a train, I picked up a waffle (wafel) at the train station. I selected a plain waffle with a sheer dusting of powdered sugar. The lesson I learned was not to judge a waffle before you take a bite. This waffle was one of the most incredible things I have ever tasted. The outside was uniformly golden brown with a crust that makes its presence known. The inside was soft pillowy carby goodness with a sweet crunch of caramelized sugar.

This is the best #waffle I have had in my whole life. I bought it at the train station in #Antwerp for 2 euros. Best purchase yet! #belgium #food

A photo posted by Jennie Chen (@misohungry) on Oct 19, 2016 at 1:21pm PDT

I became obsessed with these waffles. They bore little resemblance to their thin, tough, and limp US counterparts. I found that a food truck in Austin served legit wafels. I have confirmed that they make a dough (legit) as opposed to that pale liquid waffle batter that you get at hotel hot breakfast bars.

Wafels come with an assortment of toppings and dips in Belgium.

 And I took it upon myself to figure out how to make them. After spending hours (yes, hours) researching the thickest waffle makers available and reading up on recipes. I thought I was a ready. I purchased Presto Flipside Belgian Waffle Maker that was touted to deliver the thickest waffles. I’ve baked many things in my lifetime, and the yeast-y dough of the leige waffle was well within my skill set. I made my own pearl sugar, and I tried a few haphazard batches based off the Smitten Kitchen recipe. I will admit that cleaning up a waffle iron is too much of a trouble, and I shouldn’t be making leige wafels at home that often anyways. I don’t need to spend time getting caramelized sugar off an iron that doesn’t have removable plates nor does my rear need that many waffles.  The Wafel Guys should be my go to when it is time to treat myself to a taste of Belgium, in moderation of course.

A video posted by Jennie Chen (@misohungry) on Dec 15, 2016 at 6:38pm PST

Fortunately for me, the day that I decided that leige wafels should not be made at home, I walked by a sample cart at Costco with waffles. I was skeptical that something so amazing could come out of a plastic clamshell from an American warehouse store. 

A pack of 12 are 6.99. These are a seasonal item.

Again, I was wrong. Julian’s waffles are amazing. You can purchase them on Amazon if you don’t have a Costco membership, and some grocery stores may carry them as well. It looks like I can pick some up at my local grocery chain.

Wafels are in high demand. I demand one right now!

This blogpost originally started as a “how to make leige waffles.” It is now a “go to The Wafel Guys in Austin or buy Julian’s waffles.” 

Go big or go home. I'm doing both. Last #waffle in Europe is covered in #chocolate, whipped cream, and walnuts. #amsterdam #netherlands

A photo posted by Jennie Chen (@misohungry) on Oct 26, 2016 at 2:54pm PDT

Tips I learned in Europe

You might have noticed that I took trip over to Europe, and it was incredible. I’m breaking up the vacation into a series of short but deliciously fun blog post. The trip started in Amsterdam with a run down to Brussels, Antwerp, Maastricht, Valkenburg, Vaals, Aachen, and then back up to Amsterdam with short jaunts over to Wageningen and Leiden. This first post will be a combination of travel tips and what I learned while I was in Europe.

Hello, Wafels!

1. European facilities are tall. The toilets are tall. The mirrors in the bathroom are tall. I could barely see the top of my head in them. If you are short, you might have some challenges.

2. People there use TripAdvisor much more than Yelp. Yelp has little to no presence.

These flower pots were a genius way to hang them on the side of the rail. Genius I say. 

3. When you are driving in Holland and Germany, you still drive on the right side of the road like you do in the United States. The driver’s side of the car is the same as in the United States as well. However, most of the roads are just wide enough for 1.5 cars and there is no dividing line. Everyone shares the road. You don’t get a lane. You just move over to let people get by and you pray that the other person is in sync with your driving intentions.

4. Even though Discover card doesn’t have a foreign transaction fee, the only place in Europe that took Discover was the Enterprise rental car in Maastricht. Otherwise, get Euros or bring your Charles Schwab card.

Cappuccinos of Europe. They were all so consistently tasty!

5. Tea and coffee in Europe gets dressed up with snackies. Sometimes it is served with cookies, truffles, or other little bites. And the cappuccinos always come with a cookie or biscuit. 

 
 

6. There are some pretty neat ways to solve annoying problems. For example, to keep doors from slamming, a leather pouch is attached to the door jam to keep it quiet. And a few photos above was a smart way to hang flower pots on the rail.


  
































This anti-door slamming device was at the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam.