Prekmurska gibanica.

In July Valič will participate, together with Ardit Ejupi who placed second with his Dark Smoke ice-cream, at the European Championship in Ice-Cream Production in Bologna.

Tine Valič convinced the jury with his ice-cream which tastes and looks as "Prekmurska gibanica". It is an innovative creation made of milk ice-cream and classical ingredients of the traditional Prekmurska gibanica cake. After winning his first national champion title in ice-cream production he explained: "I wanted to make something typical of Slovenia, and yet different. So I made ice-cream as it has never been made before. Our Prekmurska gibanica is a unique dessert, and it was a real challenge to turn the ingredients into a frozen form." The jury was convinced, and Valič will represent Slovenia in July in Bologna with the multi-layered, tastefully frozen gibanica.

Nine layers of the victorious ice-cream
Each of the competitors had at his or her disposal half an hour for production of ice-cream, using previously prepared pasteurized ice-cream base. Next came mixing and freezing of ice-cream in an ice-cream making machine, and creating innovative ice-cream portions in a cup which were then exhibited in a cooled display case. How did the winner Valič manage to combine tasty layers of gibanica? "Actually, I stuck to the traditional recipe for Prekmurska gibanica. I started with crunchy crumble pastry made of flour, sugar, and butter. It was the basic layer. The second layer was made from ice-cream made with cottage-cheese and poppy. Next came the layer of walnut filling, followed by the apple ice-cream; then all the layers were repeated in the same sequence. On the top came crispy strudel dough, sprinkled with caster sugar – nine layers in all," the national champion explained.

When Prekmurska gibanica is served on a plate, the layers are clearly defined. How to preserve the layers in ice-cream served in a cup? Tine Valič, who has been creating desserts as confectioner in Hits Perla, emphasized the importance of correct serving: "After a confectioner is finished with preparation of a dessert, it is waiter's turn. A waiter must be skilled in scooping ice-cream and serving it in such a manner that the entire pallet of tastes remains noticeable. And when a guest scoops all the layers, tastes included in the Prekmurska gibanica ice-cream merge, just as they merge when we take a spoonful of Prekmurska gibanica."

An international jury evaluated confectioners participating at the first »ice-cream« national championship of Slovenia. The members of the jury evaluated taste, which accounted for one half of all points, the structure, and the presentation in a cup.

Mojca Dumančič, TV Slovenia
Translated by G. K.