Refined pud waffley good

THERE is an artistic process more complex and important than simply being creative.

It lies in the grey zone between art and craft, between art and profession, between art and trade.

While many laypersons imagine the artist as an intuitive organism, casting out items of beauty at will, this ancillary practice is the distinguishing feature that denotes the boundary between good and great.

You’ve probably already guessed — it’s the humble yet all consuming act of refinement.

Da Vinci took somewhere between 11 and 14 years to compose the Mona Lisa, expanding his narrative as he deepened his brushwork.

Michelangelo allowed himself nearly three years to free David from the marble monolith in which he was contained. He too would chip and scrape, and amend and reconsider.

So too does food require refinement, yet this art has more structure to its rules, and as such may be a simpler pursuit.

There are four pillars upon which all food is built — colour, flavour, texture and shape. The idea is to achieve contrasts in at least three of four modes, thereby crafting plates of fascination to the eye, the mouth, the mind and the stomach.

Of these, the most commonly overlooked is texture. The contrast of crunching, chewing, dissolving and being gently pliable is essential, as each denotes a unique emotional response in diners. Crunch is perhaps the most vital, as it is the hallmark of freshness, vitality and fun.

This is why waffles, with the textured, crispy shell, will always be more fun than pancakes. Just saying.

CHOCOLATE WAFFLES WITH GLAZED PEARS serves / 4

3 eggs, separated 300g sour cream 1 cup milk ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tsp natural vanilla extract ½ tsp cream of tartar 125g dark chocolate, finely chopped 4 pears, peeled and sliced ½ cup raw sugar 75g cold unsalted butter, grated Maple syrup and berries, to serve