08 Jun Ginger Waffles with Matcha Ice-cream

Warm ginger-infused waffles are the perfect foil for matcha ice-cream, creating the hot-cold sensation we all love. If you don’t have a waffle-maker, the pears and matcha ice-cream are excellent on their own, too. Start a day ahead to make the ice-cream and waffle dough.

Note: You need a waffle maker, and mixer with dough hook in order to make the waffles in this recipe, and an ice-cream maker to make the ice cream.

Prep time: 35 mins, cook 25 mins (plus overnight for chilling, freezing + proving) 
Serves: 6 
Difficulty level: Advanced

ingredients

• 125 ml (1/2 cup) lukewarm oat milk 
• 1 1/2 tsp dry yeast
• 1 egg, lightly beaten 
• 320g plain flour 
• 40g brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground ginger 
• 125g softened butter, plus extra for greasing 
• 50g pearl sugar (see note) 
• 20g glacé or crystallised ginger, finely chopped 
• Vegetable oil, for brushing 
• Icing sugar, for dusting

Matcha ice-cream 

• 6 egg yolks 
• 170g caster sugar 
• 400ml pouring cream 
• 150ml milk 
• 20g matcha powder, sieved

Caramelised pears 

• 20 gm butter, diced
• 3 pears, quartered and cored 
• 70g brown sugar 
• 2 tsp finely grated ginger 
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Method

1. For matcha ice-cream, whisk yolks and sugar in a bowl until very pale (5-6 minutes). Meanwhile, bring cream and milk to a simmer, pour into the yolk mixture, whisking continuously, then return to the pan. Stir continuously until mixture thickly coats the spoon (5-6 minutes), then strain into a bowl and refrigerate until chilled (2-3 hours). Whisk matcha and 100ml warm water in a bowl until smooth, then whisk into custard to combine. Churn in an ice-cream machine, then freeze until required. Makes about 1.2 litres.
2. Combine milk and yeast in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, then stir in egg and a third of the flour. Scatter with remaining flour – don’t stir – and set aside until yeast mixture bubbles through flour (30 minutes). If this is too higher grade in the kitchen for you then make this premix and follow the rest of the instructions. Knead in brown sugar, ground ginger and 1 tsp fine sea salt until a dough forms, then knead in butter a little at a time. Transfer to a buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until doubled in size (2 hours). Knock back dough, form into a ball, then return to bowl. Cover directly with plastic wrap, weight with a plate and refrigerate overnight for flavours to develop.
3. Knead pearl sugar and candied ginger into dough, divide into six equal balls and set aside on a tray lined with baking paper until doubled in size (30-45 minutes).
4. Meanwhile, for caramelised pears, melt butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat, add pears and cook, turning occasionally, until evenly caramelised (3-4 minutes). Stir in sugar, ginger and lemon juice and simmer, turning pears occasionally, until tender and pan juices reduce to a syrup (3-4 minutes). Remove from heat and keep warm.
5. Brush a heated waffle-maker with oil. Flatten dough balls slightly and cook in waffle-maker in batches until golden and cooked through (5-6 minutes). Dust lightly with icing sugar and serve hot with matcha ice-cream, poached pears and pan juices. 

Note: Pearl sugar is a very specialised product, you are able to find it at any of your local deli’s, you can make your own or crush the equivalent weight of sugar cubes.