Easter Brunch
Brunch is a popular Easter meal on the long weekend. Jazz up yours by bringing a spin of waffles into the mix. Chicken and waffles is a hot trend on the culinary scene these days but take a chance and make a more memorable brunch out of some simple twists on a staple southern comfort food.
This recipe will knock your guest’s socks off. It is decadent, fancy and outside the box when it comes to your typical chicken and waffles brunch. For the bacon spirals I used cannoli pins to secure bacon with toothpick and deep fry. Steam some asparagus to add colour. To be honest, you could even use a boxed waffle mix as the base if you like (it can be your little secret).

Beer Battered Lobster Tail on Sweet Potato Waffle with Hollandaise Sauce

Sweet Potato Waffle
1 ½ C peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
2 C flour
1 TBSP baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp chipotle powder
6 egg whites (room temperature)
¼ C melted un-salted butter
1 TBSP orange zest

Steam sweet potatoes in pot (keep them about 2 inches from the water line. This should take 15-20 mins. Once they are tender, pass through a potato ricer to ensure a smooth, light texture. Set aside.
Whip egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside
Whisk together flour, salt, chipotle powder and baking powder .
Incorporate sweet potatoes into flour mix.
Gentle fold in whisked egg whites (1/8th to a max of 1/3 total volume at a time). Batter will be thick but if you do not over mix you should get a nice waffle after cooking with your waffle iron or in the oven.

Beer Batter Lobster Tail
4 Lobster tails (cut in ½)
1 C milk
1 bottle of beer (your choice really)
1 C cornmeal
¼ C flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying (or a deep fryer)

Rinse and shell lobster tails.
Split in half and let soak in milk for 20 mins.
Combine the dry ingredients. Add beer and mix thoroughly.
Dredge the tail pieces in the batter and place in hot oil (aim for like 370 F for an even cook…will take about 5 minutes) Remove from the oil when golden in colour.
Let the cooked tail pieces drain on a wire rack before serving.

Hollandaise Sauce
4 egg yolks
1 TSBP lemon juice
½ C unsalted butter
Pinch of sea salt and white pepper to taste

Use a double boiler (or make one with a metal bowl over simmering water.)
Melt butter and set aside.
Incorporate lemon juice and egg yolks together by whisking…put your back into it because you want this to double in volume by the time you stop.
Place in double boiler or over simmering water (do not let it touch the water)
Whisk in melted butter being VERY careful not to let the eggs actually cook (you want a sauce NOT scrambled eggs.)
Add the sea salt and white pepper to taste In the even the sauce “breaks” but getting too thick, some boiling water added to the mixture should bring it back from the edge of disaster.
Assemble and enjoy!
Smoked Duck on a Matcha Waffle with Cucumber and Mango Salad and Syrup.
This takes a bit of planning as you need to smoke a duck breast in the event you cannot find one at a local butcher or grocery store. Make sure you deep fry the skin until crispy…this really elevates the dish by adding a crackling on top when you chop it up. This is a killer spin on a standard chicken and waffle dish. I used an infused maple syrup that I boosted up the flavour profile of by reducing the liquid to concentrate the flavour and added grilled pineapple to the reduction with about a tablespoon of butter. Place a few cucumber and mango slices between the duck and the waffle for “brightness” to the flavour profile. Matcha is basically green tea. You can buy this powder at Tea speciality shops as will a few other stores. Plus once again, buy a waffle batter mix to cut back on the work of you are looking for a way to cut time off the process.
Smoked Duck Breast
2-4 duck breasts (skin on)
3 litres of water
1 C kosher salt
1 C brown sugar
¼ C minced garlic
2 tbsp black pepper corns (cracked)
2 tbsp red pepper flakes
3 sprigs of thyme
2 C ice cubes

Heat 1 Litre of water on stove.
Add in all spices and simmer on low for 15 minutes.
Add to large sealable container with remaining water and ice cubes.
Brine the duck breast for 6 – 24 hours
Pat dry and place in smoker or on BBQ with wood chip box. Regulate temperature to about 170F
Duck is cooked when internal temperature hits 135F
Once cooled, if you thinly slice your duck breast you can saute it with some butter and ginger to give it a bit more of a crisp.

Matcha Waffles
2 C flour
2 TBSP Matcha (green tea powder)
2 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs (room temperature)
1 ½ C milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 TBSP unsalted butter

Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla and melted butter.
Incorporate the egg mixture into the dry ensuring no lumps. Cook with your waffle iron or back in your oven mold.
Assemble and enjoy!