istory
tells us that the ice
cream cone made its debut at the 1904 St.
Louis World's Fair. But history also tells us there are many conflicting stories on who
invented it. Officially, though, Paul Dickson in his "The Great
American Ice Cream Book" tells us that the International Association of Ice
Cream Manufacturers (IAICM) has given Ernest A. Hamwi the credit for
inventing the cone.
The story begins at the turn of the last century when ice cream was very
popular. Due to its popularity there were over 50 ice cream vendors selling a total
of 5000 gallons of ice cream per day at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. Ernest Hamwi
was one of the vendors at the fair but he was not selling ice cream, he
was selling a type of waffle (zalabia). The story goes that one day,
a man (named Arnold Fornachou) at the next booth ran out of small dishes
to serve his ice cream. Hamwi got the
idea to roll one of his hot Belgian waffles into a cornucopia and told
Fornachou to put a scoop of his ice cream into the cornucopia's mouth. They were an instant hit with Fornachou's customers
and they lined up to have
their ice cream served this new way. From there, because the cones were
so popular at the Fair, the St. Louis foundries started manufacturing
molds for making the cornucopia shaped cones. The cones were first
given the name "World's Fair Cornucopia" until about 1909 when they were
renamed "ice cream cones". The cone gained popularity
across the United States because by 1924 Americans were consuming upwards
of 245 million cones per year.
This recipe makes a crepe-like batter that produces a
cone that is a cross between a sugar cone and a crepe. You can cook the batter on a griddle or in a 8-9 inch (20-23
cm) nonstick sauté pan over medium-low heat. Once the batter is cooked until golden brown on both sides it is removed
from the heat and quickly rolled (while still hot) into the shape of a
cone. Squeeze the end of the cone to seal it so the ice cream
doesn't drip out and then place the cone on a wire rack to cool. The
cones are best eaten within a few hours of making them. However, if
you have leftovers they can be reheated and re-rolled again the next day with
excellent results. Making these cones does take a little practice,
both in cooking the batter and rolling them into a cone shape. But
you will find it definitely worth the effort and it will be hard to ever
eat the store bought cones again.
In a medium
sized bowl whisk together (or use a hand mixer) the eggs and sugar until
frothy. Whisk in the melted butter, milk and vanilla extract. Add the flour and salt and whisk until the batter is smooth. The
batter should be quite thin (like a crepe batter) so add more milk if
the consistency is too thick.
Heat a 8-9 inch
(20-23 cm) sauté pan over medium heat until it is hot. Reduce the
heat to medium low and brush the pan lightly with vegetable oil. Pour or ladle about 3-4 tablespoons of batter into the pan and
immediately tilt or rotate the pan so the batter forms a thin 5-6 inch
(13-15 cm) circle. Place pan back on the heat and cook until the
batter is set and you can see the underside is golden brown (3-4
minutes). Slip a metal spatula under the crepe and gently flip it
over. Cook until golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat
and slide the crepe from the pan onto your work surface. While the
crepe is still hot, quickly start at one edge and roll the crepe into a
cone shape. Squeeze the tip of the cone to seal it so the ice
cream won't drip out. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Continue making
the rest of the cones, lightly brushing the pan with vegetable oil each
time. These cones are best if eaten the same day.
However, if you
have leftovers store them in a covered container. To re-crisp the
cones preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Working
with one cone at a time, unroll the cone until it is a circle again,
place on a baking sheet and bake for about 3-5 minutes or until
the crepe is hot and soft. Remove from oven and place the hot
crepe on your work surface. Quickly reroll into a cone shape,
again squeezing the tip of the cone so the ice cream won't drip out.
Place on a wire rack to cool. Continue with the rest of the cones.
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istory
tells us that the ice
cream cone made its debut at the 1904 St.
Louis World's Fair. But history also tells us there are many conflicting stories on who
invented it. Officially, though, Paul Dickson in his "The Great
American Ice Cream Book" tells us that the International Association of Ice
Cream Manufacturers (IAICM) has given Ernest A. Hamwi the credit for
inventing the cone. 
