It will be there “Gaufre de Liège” taste is the protagonist of Ice Cream Day 2024. As always, the appointment is March 24th for a big party that will involve professionals and enthusiasts throughout Europe. A population in constant increase, and this is confirmed first and foremost by the Italian data: the 2023 turnover of cones and cups – according to data provided by Longarone Fiere Dolomiti and Artglace, organizers of the European Artisan Ice Cream Day – despite the crisis it increased by 11%. The aim is to increase, also by spreading the culture of ice cream: Gelato Day also serves this purpose, and for this reason too it will be twinned with Ice cream in Spring, the initiative which in April, however, will involve children from nursery and primary schools with free tastings in ice cream parlors throughout Italy.
What is waffle and what will waffle ice cream taste like
We can’t wait to taste it waffles in an ice cream version, absolutely new. This comforting waffle, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, is very ancient: it was born in ancient Greece but was perfected in the Middle Ages in Belgium. According to legend it was first served with sugar instead of honey on the occasion of wedding of the daughter of the Prince of the city of Liège. For Gelato Day it will be transformed into ice cream a neutral base cream flavored with vanilla and cinnamon and variegated with salted butter accompanied by a waffle wafer to garnish.
The competition for the best ice cream at Sigep
Even though Gelato Day is still about two months away, Soon we will already know which cream will be the bestgiven that the general rehearsals are being carried out at SIGEP-The Dolce World Expo, the International Exhibition of Artisan Ice Cream, Pastry, Bakery and Coffee of the Italian Exhibition Group underway in Rimini until 24 January. Among the events within the event, on January 22nd, there will be the “Gelato d’Autore” competition promoted by Artglace, GA (National Committee for the defense and diffusion of artisanal and home-produced ice cream) and AIG (Italian Association of Ice Cream Makers ) who will proclaim the best interpretation of the gaufre de Liège of the participating artisans.
Because the waffle is also (a little) Italian
Belgium chose the waffle because, as always happens for Gelato Day, every year the decision falls to one of the countries that participate and which inevitably offers its own specialty. But we are there waffles we also feel are ours and particularly symbolic: it is part of the culinary culture of many Italian families who emigrated to Belgium, particularly between the 40s and 50s to work in the mines. Among them there was also my grandfather Ginowho left us his life in those mines like too many before and after him.
Italian emigrants in Belgium
He was married in turn to the daughter of emigrants, a Piedmontese and a Venetian, with other sons and daughters in turn, and a long lineage that continues to live in Liège and the surrounding area. A large family of Italian origins, like those of many who brought their own traditions and made those of the country their own. Waffles are one of the most pleasant. A ritual that is experienced every day in the streets of Liège with that scent of sugar that comes from kiosks throughout the city, and into homes, where they prepare for Sunday breakfasts and children’s snacks. My great-grandmother, Regina, always made them for me during my summers at home with her in Liège: we spent the afternoons eating waffles and playing Scala 40. I kept his recipe, which I report here. She would be happy to know that her snacks were also an opportunity to tell a life story, of many.
My great-grandmother’s recipe for waffles
Ingredients:
- 250 g of 00 flour
- 60 g of sugar
- 250 ml of milk
- 80 g of melted butter
- 2 eggs
- A envelope of vanillin
- A pinch of salt
- A heaped teaspoon of baking powder
- Cinnamon and sugar to garnish (or anything else to taste)
Method:
- Beat the eggs in a bowl.
- Add the sugar and mix.
- Continue with the butter, milk, a pinch of salt, continuing to mix with a whisk.
- Followed by the sifted flour, vanillin and yeast.
- Cover the bowl with transparent paper and leave to rest in the fridge for about half an hour
- Heat the waffle iron, pour a small ladle of mixture into the mold or in any case the quantity needed to fill it, leaving about two millimeters on the edges so that it does not come out.
- Cook until the dough becomes golden and crunchy: the time depends on the plate, from 2 to 4 minutes generally
- Serve the waffles hot with sugar and cinnamon.
