(Captain) Quark Waffles inspired by Ratchet & Clank

For the past month or so, my daughter has been telling me that she wants to go see the Ratchet & Clank movie. Daily. Sometimes more than once. Well, it was finally released this past weekend. Guess what we did? Oh yeah, went to the movie theater.

So, here's the thing—I wasn't really familiar with Ratchet & Clank. I knew it was a video game, but I'm not a gamer. It's basically for the same reason that I can't read e-books...a bit of photosensitivity. If I decide to throw caution to the wind (like I did when my sister first bought Guitar Hero so many years ago), I'm dizzy and unbalanced for at least 2 days. It's not fun and I can't get anything accomplished or even focus on anything, so I just don't do it.

That said, my oldest son used to play it and said the movie didn't look good, so he didn't go with us. My youngest son said he'd go if we went, but he didn't care one way or the other. So, it was just the three of us (hubs was working)...and a handful of other people in the theater. On release weekend. So yeah, the earth didn't move under our feet. I wasn't wowed, but it was cute. The kids both enjoyed it.

If you're not familiar with the story, it's basically the story of Ratchet, a young lombax (the only one of his kind, it seems) who was raised without a family and works as a mechanic. He is a huge fan of the Galactic Rangers, a team of heroes working to save the planet, and when they advertise open auditions to be their next member, he tries out. He's rejected at first, but after a chance meeting with an evil-robot-reject (aka, he's small and not evil), the two become partners in saving the Galactic Rangers from an attack by the villain Chairman Drek.

Since this is done in public, the Galactic Rangers, led by the Captain Qwark, are pretty much left without any other choice than to welcome Ratchet and Clank as their new members. So, over the course of the movie, both Ratchet and Qwark learn lessons in character, friendship, and what makes a hero.

Of course, I was taking mental notes of the food mentioned and seen in the movie, most of which came by way of Qwark. Next to popularity, food seemed to be his favorite thing. He talked about meatloaf and we saw him eating some sort of cookie or bon-bon and drinking what I'm guessing was carrot juice (from a straw out of a carrot-shaped cup or bottle). But one of my favorite parts was when he mentioned that a battle needed to end quickly so he could eat waffles.

I don't remember the exact quote. That's the only thing about seeing it in the theater (not being able to pause, rewind, take notes). But they showed a stack of waffles and I knew that's what I'd be making...and to be clever, I used quark as an ingredient in the batter. I topped it off with a tumble of kiwi and a marschino cherry with a stem—meant to resemble Qwark's suit (his head).

Have you seen the Ratchet & Clank movie...and what were your thoughts?

yield: 6-8 wafflesAuthor: Heather Schmitt-Gonzalezprint recipe

(Captain) Quark Waffles

prep time: 5 MINScook time: 10 MINStotal time: 15 mins

These fun and tasty waffles inspired by the movie Ratchet & Clank are made with quark and topped with kiwi and a maraschino cherry (as a nod to Captain Qwark).

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 large eggs, separated
• 2 tablespoons (25 g) brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) quark
• 1/2 cup (118 ml) milk
• 1 cup (227 g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) salt

to serve:

• maple syrup, to taste
• 3 kiwis, peeled and roughly pureed in a mini food processor
• maraschino cherries with the stem (1 per plate)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar, room temperature butter, and vanilla until combined. Whisk in the milk and quark. Whisk in the dry ingredients until just combined.
2. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold into the batter, a third at a time.
3. Preheat your waffle maker and grease the plates. Add 1/3 cup of batter to the waffle iron and cook until golden.
4. Serve immediately with maple syrup, a pile of kiwi and a maraschino cherry on top. (The kiwi and cherry represent Cpt. Qwark's head/suit.)

Notes:

1. If you can't find quark, substitute a thick, plain greek yogurt. It's not the same, but it's similar and will work well in this recipe.

http://www.allroadsleadtothe.kitchen/2016/05/captain-quark-waffles-ratchet-and-clank.html