Waffles: the “Made in Italy” recipe by RivaReno
Who doesn’t love waffles, those sweet fragrant pancakes prepared on a hot iron, to be served, still steaming, with fruit, jam, chocolate, creams and much more, any way you want them? They are a treat, which has started to be a great success in Italy, thanks to their simple but irresistible taste, and their inviting texture. The recipe for waffles has now spread widely throughout both Europe and America, and has teamed up with some new combinations. An example is ice cream, especially if it’s daily-fresh like RivaReno’s.
The original waffle recipe
Waffles are soft honeycomb pancakes, perfect to enjoy at any time of the day, whenever the urge for a little naughty gluttony overtakes you. The original waffle recipe requires just a few simple ingredients. You must arm yourself with super-fine flour, butter, eggs, baking powder, sugar, a vanilla pod, and salt. Once all the ingredients have been mixed in a bowl, the dough must rest for at least an hour, and then it’s ready to cook in the waffle iron, after having brushed it with a little melted butter. When the waffles take on a beautiful golden colour, they’re ready to serve, still hot, with chocolate sprinkles, cream, strawberries, and of course, your favourite flavour of top-quality gelato. At RivaReno we’ve made some changes of our own to the original waffle recipe, to make it very special and, if possible, even more delicious. Our master gelato makers add Bourbon vanilla and honey to the mixture, to increase the sweetness and bring out the aroma of the dessert. No powdered products are used, just genuine, first-quality ingredients. Then our daily-fresh gelato gives that extra touch which makes RivaReno waffles so extraordinary.
“Gaufres” and other versions of the waffle
The term “waffle”, whose origins seem to date back to Ancient Greece – apparently the legionaries were crazy for them – is usually used to mean its northern European and American versions. In some countries, such as France and Belgium, they are more commonly known as “gaufres”. However this is not accurate, as they are not the same dessert.
The difference lies in the ingredients used. The dough of “gaufres” contains brewer’s yeast (or beaten egg whites); the result is a dense mixture, that, when cooked, becomes a fairly thick dessert. In the preparation of waffles, however, baking powder is used instead of brewer’s yeast. This results in a much more liquid batter and a dessert which is a little less thick.
By the way, have you ever noticed that “ferratelle”, a sweet very popular in Abruzzo, are in their own way a small variation of waffles and “gaufres”?
Our waffles with gelato
At RivaReno we have chosen this delicious dessert as a worthy “companion” for our homemade gelato. We have done so to be able to offer an absolutely delicious and authentic combination, pairing two recipes which are loved all over the world. Our waffles with gelato can be enjoyed at any time, from breakfast to after dinner, both in winter and summer, and will satisfy everyone’s palate – not only with their taste, but also with their exquisite contrast between hot and cold. However ours is less cold than ordinary gelato: at RivaReno we don’t want to anaesthetise our customers’ taste buds, so that they can’t fully appreciate the taste of our daily-fresh gelato!