If you’re a sucker for sweet stuff then The wonderful world of the stroopwafel be your next read!
If you’re a sucker for sweet stuff then The wonderful world of the stroopwafel by Lineke Eerdmans and Ulrike Schmidt should be yournext read. This luxurious coffee table book is something to savour – from cover to first bite. Go on a journey of the history of this round, sticky waffle, taking you all the way back to 7th century Scandinavia when the Vikings were fed stroopwafel fuel.
Forget store-bought sweets. Learn how to re-create your very own warm and syrupy stroopwafels at home with an originalrecipe but also variations thereof, using chocolate syrup, or by baking biscuits using a similar recipe. And for those with glutenintolerance – have no fear! This book shows you how to make them without.
What Eerdmans and Schmidt demonstrate is that the stroopwafel isn’t necessarily a standalone edible (often for con-sumption on the sly, of course). Forget Paleo diets of the past. This is one versatile waffle that can be used very creatively: melted goat’s cheese in stroopwafels; creamy stroopwafel-crumble soup; stroopwafel parfait; and various other, mostly unthinkable yet mouth-watering recipes.
Moreover, what makes the book particularly special are the personal stories of stroopwafel entrepreneurs around the world. Discover how pastry chefs from Pakistan to the Pacific are making this waffle big business. Also read Dutchpastry chef Jan Anker’s story and learn about his secret recipe dating back to the 1810 Kamphuisen siroopwafel. (The book’s second edition, issued last October, includes a new article about a baker in the US: Gezellig Cookies.)
It’s not just the decadent centre that makes The Wonderful World of the Stroopwafel a winner. The cover design comprises up-close photos of the cookie; golden typeface; a golden bookmark as well as diamond-patternedwaffle print on the inside – adding an air of sophistication to what is otherwise known as the poor man’s biscuit.
Consider The Wonderful World of the Stroopwafel a delightful gift for the upcoming festive season. Pair this bookwith a packet of fresh stroopwafels for the ultimate wintery delight for that special someone. «
BY ELIZABETH JOSS
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