Buttermilk Waffles with French Strawberry Jam

To make the strawberry jam, in a large bowl, combine the strawberries and sugar and stir until evenly coated. Transfer to a 9 1/2-inch copper fry pan. Using the tip of a knife, split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise to expose the seeds and scrape the seeds into the strawberry mixture. Add the pieces of the pod to the pan. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the strawberries have broken down, most of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture resembles a thick jam, 45 to 48 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the vanilla bean pod and stir in the lemon juice. Let cool until just warm.

Meanwhile, make the waffles: Have all the ingredients at room temperature. Preheat an oven to 200°F. Preheat a Belgian waffle maker according to the manufacturer?s instructions

In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Whisk in the buttermilk, butter and vanilla. Over a sheet of waxed paper, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar. Add the flour mixture to the yolk mixture and whisk until smooth.

In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold half of the egg whites into the batter, then fold in the remaining whites. Cook the waffles according to the manufacturer?s instructions. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.

Serve the waffles with the strawberry jam and whipped cream alongside. Makes about eight 4 1/2-inch waffles and 2 cups jam.