Being that it was snowy and cold outside - I felt we needed a good, hearty breakfast - so we could watch the snow melt - so I dug out the ol' Aebleskiver pan - dusted it off and set about making one of the best breakfasts the mister and I have had in at least a week! I first became aware of Aebleskivers when we lived in Minnesota - surrounded by Sven's and Ollie's who, after a breakfast of Aebleskivers, would shush down the snow-packed streets with flags attached to their heads so cars backing out of their driveways could spot them over the 6 foot high drifts....ah, it brings back such fond memories...Swedish pancakes with Lingonberries and Aebleskivers with jam, available at every Luthern rummage sale for a buck and a smile
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My kids loved them - and ate them as fast as I could turn them out. And "turn" is the operative word here - you have to turn them in the pan, round and round, with a toothpick or a wooden skewer - my preference or even a knitting needle will do! They'll come out nice and round, about the size of a golf ball and you can even put a filling in them if you want - but we prefer them without.
My first batch usually burns - but then I get the hang of it - and the race to get them made and on the plate begins...
The mister likes his with warmed maple syrup - I like mine with my sister-in-law's delicious peach jam - warmed slightly so it's like a sauce - oh, oh, OH SO GOOD!
If you don't have an Aebleskiver pan, you can pick one up at any good cooking/kitchen store or you might even look for one at a thrift shop - I am forever seeing them there and it just confounds me - who would EVER give their Aebleskiver pan away! Dolts!
Danish Aebleskivers
3 eggs, separated
2 cups fresh buttermilk
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
powdered sugar for sprinkling
Beat egg yolks and buttermilk together. Combine dry ingredients. Add to egg mixture. Beat egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer until stiff. Fold into batter, carefully keeping the whites light. Heat the Aebleskiver pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add 1/2 teaspoon or so of butter into each hole of pan. Fill 2/3 full with batter. (This is the point where you could add a filling if you wanted - like a small amount of appplesauce, jam or fruit - and then you would cover it with a small amount of batter.) Let cook until slightly crustly on bottom. Loosen around the edges and turn them slightly with a wooden skewer - or knitting needle. Continue cooking, turning the ball to keep it from burning. Cook until the ball is indeed a ball and cooked on all sides. Remove from pan and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve with jam, jelly or syrup. Makes about 36 Aebleskivers - which feeds the mister and me...kidding...we don't eat them all...not usually...the boy helps...if he's fast enough!
*Note to self...L&P spent last night at the hospital with false labor - tick-tock, tick-tock - the wait continues...cherry tree that we gave to Mia (10 years ago) when she arrived from China fell down with the weight of the snow - I had just commented to the mister how beautiful the pink blossoms were yesterday afternoon - and now it's gone along with several trees in the park...however the one tree we WANT to come down is still standing...I must remember to be "specific" in my prayers!
