Tuesday, December 1, 2009

You don't even have to be Danish.


We thought we'd kick off December with some good eats. Ever heard of Aebleskivers (able skavers)? They are essentially little doughnuts (almost like pancake balls) that are cooked in a special pan. Though we ourselves are not Danish (like aebleskivers), when we inherited one of these pans from Grandma Tillie, we made cooking them a new family tradition. They are great fun any time of year, but they feel particularly festive around the holidays.

Here is the recipe (a la Mr. FYF):

2 egg whites
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. white sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 egg yolks
4 tbsp. butter, melted
2 cups buttermilk
vegetable oil for frying

1. Beat the egg whites in a bowl until they hold stiff peaks
2. Mix together all the other ingredients in another bowl until smooth, then gently fold in the egg whites.
3. Heat the pan over medium/medium-low heat and pour about 1 tbsp. of oil into each cup in the pan (the oil should be hot, but not smoking). Pour about 2 tbsp. of the batter into each cup and cook until they looked cooked around the edges (the middle will not be done yet). Use a fork to flip them over and continue cooking until they are done-- you may need to keep flipping them so they don't burn.
Serve them with powdered sugar, jam, honey, or whatever else you like.

Since I'm not as clever a cook as Mr. FYF, I had a rough go my first time. These little guys take some finesse. Some tips: Don't overfill the wells in the pan! And watch them carefully--I burned my first batch! After a few rounds of filling the pan, you'll get the hang of it!

Here are some pan options:

If you are as passionate about cast-iron as my husband, try this one.


If you are more passionate about your budget, try this one:


You can't beat a cold evening spent indoors with some hot chocolate, aebleskivers, and Frank Sinatra singing "White Christmas!" Add it to your list of traditions.
-Anne

5 comments:

  1. mmm, these look so yummy. but what if you don't have an aebleskiver pan? is there an alternative?

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  2. When I was living in Denmark this was such a treat! Almost everyone bought them frozen at the store. I'm excited to try this.

    If you are interested in making your Christmas a bit more Danish, decorate with red hearts! It is the symbol of Christmas there (kind of like shamrocks and St. Patrick's day). If you hit your local IKEA, you'll notice a lot of red and hearts in this season's decor. Here's a great craft link to what I saw everywhere. I totally remember making these in elementary school.
    http://haabet.dk/users/julehjerter/making.html
    So there's a Danish craft to add to your Aebleskivers!

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  3. I love aebleskivers! They've been a New Year's Day breakfast tradition in our family for years. We love 'em with powdered sugar and raspberry jam.

    I found my cast iron aebleskiver pan at an antique mall for a song (about $5, if I recall correctly). They're a fairly common item at antique shops, although few people seem to know what they actually are: I've seen them labeled as egg poaching or carameled apple pans. Ha!

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  4. This is one of my very favorites!! My mom is Danish and she would make them all the time - Christmas, birthdays, Sunday brunch. Love them!

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  5. This is kind of random, but today (12/4), Williams Sonoma has their pans 50% off both online and in the store, so they're $19.95.

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