Someone moved the bookshelf, which opened like a door, revealing more rooms inside. I stepped in a genuine secret chamber for the first time--before, I had only read about them or played pretend. Here, the austere quarters of a young girl and her family took me to the 1940's, when Amsterdam was occupied by Nazis. I was in Anne Frank's house.
That was not the only time travelling I did in this city. I was able to mix colorful powdered earth for paints in Rembrandt's home from the 1600's, and to witness more than one of Van Gogh's 19th century sunflower paintings in his museum.
Outside the royal palace, amid festive carrousels and other rides, at Dam Square, I enjoyed patats (french fries) with mayonnaise, and slices of gouda at a bakery. Cheese is not the only invention the town of Gouda left us. Stroopwaffels were also made there for the first time.
Stroopwaffels
These cookies were invented in Gouda in 1784. Its creator, Gerard Kamphuisen, put crumbs and spices together into a waffle, and them spread it with syrup. It became known as the poor man's cookie, because it was made out of leftovers.
-Cooked pizelles;find recipe at http://recipecircus.com/recipes/Stella/ETHNIC/Dutch_Stroopwafel.html
My Molasses Filling Recipe
1 cup brown sugar
8 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Cook brown sugar, 6 tablespoons of butter, molasses, corn syrup, and cinnamon until the mixture reaches 240 degrees. Remove from heat, then add 2 tablespoons of butter.
Take a pizelle and spread 2 tablespoons of molasses filling on top of it, then stick another pizelle onto the filling. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter, preferably a comfort grip cutter. Cut through the sandwich cookie and remove excess.
If you place the cookie on top of a cup of coffee, the vapor should warm it.
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