Les Gaufres at Le Marché des Enfants Rouges

Getting my Cornet Vegetarien in Paris is always a treat. So much so, that I'm usually there at Alain's stand in Le Marché des Enfants Rouges well before noon, when he's ready for sandwiches. Such was the case on Saturday. When I arrived, he was focused on preparing all his delicious ingredients—haddock marinated in fresh lemon juice, freshly grated fennel—and peddling the amazing baked goods.

So I joined the cute kids ogling the viennoiserie and breads made with organic flour.

But, ever the kind, generous soul, Alain didn't let me stand there, panting. Instead, he sent me off with a sampling of his latest addition to his menu: freshly made waffles sprinkled with powdered sugar.

I am not a big waffle person. But let me tell you: this thing was divine.

A milky batter, cooked warm and savory on the iron, and then sweetened by fine sugar. It's the perfect warm-up to "le mieux sandwich" in Paris!

This week’s obsession: 5 pounds

It was a heavyweight week. The kind that I’ll notice, and chide myself for, every time I pull my jeans on next week.

There was the ooey gooey Sugar Sweet Sunshine cupcake with Alex. I had to do chocolate chip cookie recon. I was treated to Michel Cluizel dark chocolate ganache truffles. Dried pineapple from Commodities. Four courses of dessert, baked with Pichet Ong. And a sugary sweet liege waffle.

Warmly, waffles

Wafels & Dinges is nice sidewalk fare. But it’s an irrefutable pleasure to walk into a café and be smacked in the face with the smell of warm Belgian waffles.

When Amee suggested that Julie and I meet her at Petit Abeille for brunch, I knew I could count on my two dear friends to help me get my daily sweet fix. We split a classic liege waffle.

So dense and springy, the texture was lovely and saturated with a sweet vanilla flavor. The syrup on the side was totally unnecessary, with crunchy bits of granular sugar inside, and a soft shake of confectioner’s sugar on top.

44 West 17th between 5th & 6th Aves
212.727.2989

Waffling over dessert?

Walking home from dinner at Fatty Crab tonight, my mind turned to the trucks: the Dessert Truck, Treats Truck, Mud Truck, et al. I wondered if that waffle guy might be outside Trader Joe’s like he sometimes is.

Then, weaving in and out of the throngs of 14th Street shoppers, I saw red lights on the curb up ahead. Could it be? ‘Twas: the Wafels & Dinges Truck.

It’s a common story by now: guy enters mid-life and is unfulfilled with corporate career. Chucks six figures and launches absurd dream: food on wheels. There you have it, a truck peddling Belgian waffles on a night when you’ve slurped down curry soup.

It boils down to two choices: the Brussels Wafel or the Liege Wafel. The former is the traditional option, “Crunchy, light and yum yum.” The latter, the one I went for, is “Chewy, rich and flavorful.” (The chewier the sweet, the better.) Sparkling with sugar crystals, spongy and served warm, this is a quiet dessert. Simple in flavor, satisfying in texture, and subtle in size.

Unless you dip in to the Dinges: strawberries, whipped cream, nutella, dulce de leche, maple syrup and Belgium chocolate fudge can all be added to your Wafel to create a gluttonous dessert, or a “Wafel of Massive Deliciousness.” If only I hadn’t already eaten a gut-bomb of a dinner…