I think it's been established that I'm a breakfast person. Mostly because that short, slow hour of coffee and solitarity is integral to my sanity, but probably also because it's the only time of day when you can eat something sweet and actually call it a meal. Smoothies, yogurt bowls, French toast, cake or leftover pie ... if it's sweet and delicious, I'm happy to call it breakfast. It'll come as no surprise that I've always been quite smitten with the concept of waffles for breakfast, too.

Of course, around here, like in many European households, I suppose, waffles were of the afternoon. They were the sticky Liège waffles my mom made (only very occasionally) on dark winter days, or the Brussels' waffles we had after a summer retreat at the seaside. But I watched enough American tv-shows as a kid to know, from a pretty early age, that there was more to them than we were experiencing. All those typical scenes of busy family mornings, with everyone sitting around the breakfast table in pyjamas, most definitely had their effect on me.

Like with many things typically American, though, I also felt a certain hesitation towards those crazy breakfast spreads. Something about them crossed the line of delicious indulgence and entered the realm of outrageous abundance. Something about them was just. too. much.

I always figured it was the combination of sweet and savory. I couldn't for the life of me understand why one would pair waffles and pancakes with bacon and eggs. Until, a couple of weeks ago, when I really really really couldn't decide what to have for brunch and I ended up ordering - with a good amount of skepticism, I might add - a savory pancake stack. Now, I'll be honest and tell you that it was still a little too much for my liking, but the flavor profile in those initial bites was, admittedly, quite fantastic. Who knew?

Anyway, I think the experience was the push I needed to finally venture into the realm of Joy the Baker's Brown Sugar Bacon Waffles - a recipe I once scribbled into my recipe book under the title Brown Sugar (No Bacon) Waffles. I added pieces of ripe peach to make it a little more summery - and because peach and bacon are a match I have actually always approved of (don't ask me how my mind works) -, as well as a luscious earl grey syrup - because it's just so damn good.

notes

• The earl grey syrup in this recipe is completely optional, but highly recommended. It pairs perfectly with the sweet and savory waffles, and leftovers can be used in cocktails or stirred into yogurt or fruit.
• Peaches can be omitted to adapt this recipe to every season.
• Leftover waffles can be frozen for later use. Let them cool completely before wrapping, then freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat frozen waffles in toaster.

peach bacon waffles w/ earl grey syrup

adapted from Joy the Baker

serves 4

for the earl grey syrup

2 bags of earl grey tea
120 ml boiling water
100 g fine sugar

for the peach bacon waffles

10 slices of bacon
50 g dark brown sugar
190 g all-purpose flour
1 +1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
25 g dark brown sugar
80 ml (1/3 cup) canola oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
295 ml (1 + 1/4 cup) buttermilk
1 ripe peach, stone removed and cut into small pieces (ca. 0.5 cm)

how to

for the earl grey syrup

1. Combine boiling water and tea bags and let steep for 5 to 10 minutes, until you have a very strong earl grey tea. Discard tea bags. 

2. In a small saucepan, combine fine sugar and tea. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, then simmer until reduced to a little less than half the volume, ca. 10 minutes. Let cool.

for the peach bacon waffles

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and line with aluminum foil.

2. Arrange bacon slices in a single layer onto the baking sheet and sprinkle with 50 g of dark brown sugar. Place the baking sheet in the upper third of the oven and bake until the bacon is brown, crispy, and caramelized, 10 to 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and immediately remove bacon from the baking sheet, placing them on a cutting board. Let cool, then chop into tiny pieces.

2. Turn on waffle iron to preheat.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. In another bowl or a large measuring cup, whisk together oil, eggs, vanilla extract and buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, all at once, and stir until most of the dry ingredients have been incorporated. Fold in the chopped peach and bacon bits, making sure everything is incorporated, without overmixing the batter. (If you want, reserve some of the bacon bits to sprinkle on top when serving.)

4. Lightly oil your waffle iron and bake according to the instructions. Waffles are done when they're golden, crispy, and no longer sticking to the iron.

5. Serve with earl grey syrup, fresh fruit and maybe a dollop of mascarpone.