Waffles with banana & salted caramel sauce

Method

• step 1

  Put the sugar, golden syrup and butter in a saucepan and heat gently, stirring occasionally, until everything has melted together. When the mixture starts to bubble, stir in the double cream and cook for 2 mins. Stir in 1/2 tsp salt, then take off the heat and allow to cool slightly in the pan.

• step 2

  Heat the waffle maker (if you don't have one, you can use a griddle pan instead - see tip). Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. In a separate large bowl, mix together the flour, bicarbonate, caster sugar and a pinch of salt. Make a well in the centre and add the egg yolks and melted butter. Start mixing with a balloon whisk; keep whisking as you slowly add the milk until you get a smooth, thick batter. Carefully fold in the egg whites with a metal spoon. Use a ladle to pour the batter into your waffle maker and cook for 5 mins or according to the manufacturer's instructions. Repeat until all the batter has been used up - keep cooked waffles warm in a low oven until serving.

• step 3

  Just before serving, heat the remaining butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and fry the banana pieces until golden. Divide the waffles between 4 plates, top with the fried bananas, drizzle with salted caramel and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if you like.