Some things about Norwegian waffl es remain a mystery. The heart shape is one of them. Food historians trace Norway's heart-shaped waffl es to Sweden or Germany. And they speculate that the shape had to do with the Virgin Mary. Waffl es were eaten for the Feast of the Annunciation, the day when the angel Gabriel visited the Virgin to tell her she would give birth to Christ. It's no coincidence that Annunciation Day, historically observed on March 25, is also International Waffl e Day. ½ cups freshly squeezed orange juice 4 servings ready-made pastry cream or vanilla pudding Sliced strawberries about Stine and fi nd waffl e recipes in her book " We Heart Waffl es: The Heart of Scandinavian Culture " at nordicwaffl es.com. Place one waffl e on a serving platter. Top with pastry cream and sliced strawberries. Repeat until all waffl es, pastry cream and strawberries have been used to form a large layer cake. Makes 4 Waffl es ½ cup mascarpone ½ cup whipping cream 1 Tbsp. sugar Nutella Beat orange juice and mascarpone until smooth and creamy. Whip cream and sugar. Fold into mascarpone mixture. Spread Nutella over each waffl e and top with mascarpone cream. Makes 4 Waffl es sonsofnorway.com VIKING FEBRUARY 2017 17http://www.es.com http://www.sonsofnorway.com