Gluten Free Lemon Meringue Waffles

I must admit I have been a bit of a blog slacker lately. Little things like family, work and life in general seem to get in the way of devoting the time needed to keep this little gluten free recipe machine running. I do want to sincerely thank everyone who does find the time to stop by my blog and leave a comment or check out my recipes. I appreciate all the support.

My wife really wanted a Belgian waffle maker for Christmas this past year. I wasn't real excited about adding another small appliance to our kitchen. I assumed that it would just be another dust collector taking up room in a cupboard. But, if there's one thing I've learned over the years, it's that my wife usually gets what she wants and she often chooses wisely. I can't believe I just put that in print. I hope she doesn't read this. Anyway, the waffle maker has made several appearances since Christmas. My wife would be more than content to make simple waffles with butter and syrup. I on the other hand, can not leave well enough alone. I can and must tinker with everything to try something new and different. The one thing I won't mess with is the basic waffle batter recipe. We use Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix and follow the recipe for pancakes or waffles. The pancakes are pretty good. However, the same mix made into Belgian waffles is outstanding.

All right, let's tackle this tasty Dinner/Dessert/Breakfast. First, you need to make up some Lemon Curd. This is so simple and I can't believe I've never made it before.
Lemon Curd:
from the Joy of Baking
3 large eggs
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons) (avoid the bottled juice if possible)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbs lemon zest
4 Tbs unsalted butter (room temperature, cut into small cubes)
In a stainless steel bowl placed over a pan of simmering water (double boiler), whisk together the eggs, sugar and lemon juice. Stir constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling. The mixture will begin to thicken up, like sour cream. This can take anywhere from 5-10 minutes. Check the temperature of the mixture. It needs to cook until it reaches 160 degrees F. I just dipped an instant read thermometer into the mix. Once it reaches 160 degrees, remove from the heat and strain the mix through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl to get any little cooked egg pieces out.
Whisk the butter in until it is completely melted and stir in the lemon zest. Cover with plastic wrap. Push the plastic wrap down onto the top of the lemon curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least an hour. This can be made a day or two ahead of time. The lemon curd will thicken a bit more as it cools. This makes about 1-1/2 cups of lemon curd.

Gluten Free Lemon Meringue Waffles:
from Crepes, Waffles and Pancakes!
Waffle Batter:
Make a double batch of Pamela's waffle batter
1 tsp lemon zest
Meringue:
2 egg whites (room temperature works best)
1/8 tsp cream of tartar
1/4-1/2 cup superfine granulated sugar (you can use regular white sugar as well)
Waffle Topping:
6 Tbs plain Greek or whole milk yogurt
6 Tbs lemon curd
small pieces of toasted meringue

For the waffles: add the lemon zest to the waffle batter, cook until golden brown.

For the Meringue: using a stand mixer or hand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and continue whisking until firm peaks form. I then toasted pieces of the meringue over a gas stove burner using wooden skewers. Kind of like roasting marshmallows. A small kitchen torch would work a little better.
For the rest of the topping; mix equal parts of lemon curd and Greek yogurt together.
Spread a little lemon/yogurt mix over the warm, fresh waffle and top with some toasted meringue. Mmm, Mmm Good. Enjoy!!!