Don’t you just love a good buttermilk waffle? I certainly do.
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We make waffles frequently at our house, so I’m always experimenting with new flavors. Recently I shared this spring cocktail recipe made with a strawberry rhubarb syrup, and while recipe testing, I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t this syrup be perfect for breakfast too?!” After a little additional tweaking and testing, I ended up with these Rhubarb Waffles with Lemon Whipped Cream.
The base here is a simple buttermilk waffle batter infused with butter and vanilla. Sliced rhubarb is then cooked briefly in a mix of sugar and water. The resulting poached rhubarb is folded into the waffle batter, and the remaining syrup is cooked down a little further until it takes on a maple syrup-like consistency. This bubble gum-colored syrup gets drizzled over the golden waffles instead of maple syrup to add more rhubarb flavor. The dish is finished with airy dollops of lemon-spiked whipped cream and a light dusting of lemon zest. With each bite, you’ll get a little sweet and a little tang followed by the buttery richness of the waffles. So. Darn. Tasty. Continue reading for the recipe.
I developed this recipe in partnership with Ralphs, my go-to neighborhood grocery store here in San Diego. I just love that they’ve got a great selection of seasonal produce like the rhubarb pictured above. Ralphs also carries an awesome organic line called Simple Truth. I like to buy Simple Truth brown eggs and flour. Shhh. Don’t tell anyone at Ralphs that I hunt around for spotted brown eggs in all the boxes, because they’re prettier in photos 😛
Rhubarb can often be paired with strawberry or other strong flavors, but here I really wanted to give these gorgeous red stalks the spotlight. On its own, rhubarb has a very tart flavor with notes of berry, citrus and apple. You really need a decent amount of sugar to balance out the sourness. In this recipe, sliced rhubarb is cooked very gently in a simple mix of water and sugar. You simmer it for just a moment, take the pan off the heat, and let steep for 1 hour. This softens the rhubarb without risk of it turning to mush. The poached rhubarb, stained various shades of red and pink, is strained and added to the waffle battle.
The leftover syrup then gets cooked a bit longer to thicken and reduce. This is just one of two tasty toppings for these waffles. The other is a whipped cream infused with sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice. Lemon pairs well with rhubarb without overwhelming it. The poached rhubarb, rhubarb syrup and whipped cream can be prepared up to one day in advance. Just be sure to re-whisk the whipped cream right before serving.
Rhubarb Waffles with Lemon Whipped Cream
Ingredients
For the waffles:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
- 1 1/2 cups sliced rhubarb (from 2 - 3 stalks)
- 2 cups Simple Truth Organic Flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1 3/4 cup shaken buttermilk, plus more as needed
- 2 Simple Truth Large Brown Eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for brushing
For the whipped cream:
- 1 cup cold heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest (from about 2 lemons), plus more for sprinkling
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Bring water to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup sugar and rhubarb, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Bring the mixture back to a simmer, bubble for 1 minute, then take off the heat. Cover and let sit for 1 hour. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the poached rhubarb to a small bowl. Return the remaining syrup to medium heat, bring to a boil, and cook until the mixture thickens to the consistency of maple syrup ( about 9 to 10 minutes). If not using immediately, store both the poached rhubarb and rhubarb syrup in the refrigerator.
- While the rhubarb is resting, prepare the waffle batter. Add flour, baking soda, sea salt, and 2 tablespoon sugar to a large bowl, whisking to combine. In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring just until combined (there should still be lumps). Quickly whisk in the melted butter. Let the batter rest until the rhubarb is done (at least 30 minutes).
- Preheat a waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Fold poached rhubarb (and any syrup left in the bowl) into the waffle batter. Brush the top and bottom plates lightly with melted butter to keep the waffles from sticking. Scoop 1/2 cup of batter in each well*, and using a spatula, spread the batter out to the corners. Close the waffle iron, and cook until golden brown.
- While the waffles are cooking, prepare the whipped cream. Add the cream, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high until soft peaks form.
- To serve, plate up 2 waffles, then top with rhubarb syrup, lemon whipped cream and a bit of freshly grated lemon zest.
Notes
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kroger. The opinions and text are all mine.
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I’m Brandon: food explorer, recipe curator, cocktail shaker, dessert lover. Kitchen Konfidence is how I document my time spent in my favorite space, the kitchen. Did you make a recipe? Tag @brandiego on Instagram so I can see the how it went!
averie @ averie cooks says
These look delicious and I just ordered a new waffle maker yesterday! Perfect timing!
Brandon Matzek says
YES!! Which one did you order?
Sarah Snell says
I added chocolate in this waffle and it taste amazing. Thanks for the recipe!!!
Brandon Matzek says
So glad you enjoyed the waffles Sarah!! Thanks for sharing.
Tamara Setzer says
No not like butts lmao I wrote like you, beautiful but my tablet is lagging and erased were it lagged auto corrected to like butts how horrifying truly I am so mortified. But at least we can laugh at the ridiculousness of that mistake btw I said but again. Sorry that time I did mean to say it okay enough foolishness. My wife is heckling me now . Have a great laugh and a great day. Namaste.
Tamara Setzer says
Brandon, first hello gorgeous…your recipes are just like you…like butts, so beau ti ful. I am a little leary about adding the lemon juice to the whipping cream because I have used lemon juice to sour my whole milk when I’ve been in the middle of cooking only to find much to my chagrin someone had consumed my buttermilk. So I add 2 to 5 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice to milk to turn it into thick buttermilk consistency. Won’t the lemon juice do the same to the whipping cream? I would end up tossing it down the drain and here in California one pint of heavy whipping cream is running $6 to $8 and for the quart easily the bargain rate of $12.. thinking about moving to another country so I can buy a pound of butter under $8.79 per lb for the mystery sourced generic store brand butter. I end up buying challenge or Danish creamery which is my favorite. Which rings up to just under $14 per lb. So ingredients here due to cost leave no wiggle room for errors. Gone are the carefree days of finding joy in even the most basic pleasures where once upon a time was not only a prudent way to spend a day , it also resulted in great conversation gathering of friends as well as feeding the masses. Never the less I am determined to make yet another delicious recipe you have so painstakingly unselfishly shared with your readers followers and fans. Let me know how I can avoid the acid turns cream to soured milk battle. Have a wonderful day thank you for your blogs humor and inspiration. Tried and true is wisdom shared, can’t tell you how many bogus bloggers proport to have created recipes you end up throwing into the trash at rocket launching speed because their recipes were as fictitious as their claim to ever even seeing a kitchen let alone cooking. So much as a pot of water. So your advice is so appreciated. Thanks lovie, Namaste, Tamara
Minaz Jantz says
Fantastic recipe, new favorite thing to do with my rhubarb garden. I switched from lemons to oranges and added a hint of nutmeg, a hint of orange zest into the rhubarb stewing process. I enjoy the discovery of your blog and will try other recipes.
Brandon Matzek says
Thanks for sharing Minaz! So glad you enjoyed the recipe :). And those changes sound wonderful!