Thursday, December 31, 2009

Aebleskiver

One of my Christmas presents was an æbleskiver pan and some wild blueberry jam courtesy of my youngest sister. I love learning about new culinary treats, so part of the fun was looking up the history of this foreign treat.

The origin is believed to be Denmark, roughly around the time of the Vikings. The word æbleskiver is plural meaning apple slices, believed to be the original filling; although other sources claim it's an ode to the spherical shape of the pancake. Either way, it's delicious.

The Danish usually enjoy their æbleskiver as a dessert or snack in December, with fillings ranging from pieces of fruit, to jams and jellies, to chocolates. The batter is also perfect for savory fillings, such as meats or marinated vegetables. In America, æbleskiver are more often made for breakfast and drenched in maple syrup.

For my version, I used wild blueberry jam and some orange marmalade. The wild blueberry was our favorite. The orange marmalade was too tart for our taste buds.

The batter reminded me of thick eggnog and smelled wonderful. This was also my first time beating eggs whites by hand. It took a few minutes of furious whisking, but I did it! I found it helped to pace back and forth in the kitchen throughout the process.

I didn't realize how many æbleskiver would result from the recipe, and it turns out we ended up with 42 for just the two of us! Since æbleskiver do not keep very well, we'll be eating these all weekend. Next time I'll just cut the recipe in half.

The æbleskiver do taste similar to a pancake, but the nutmeg brings a lovely warmth to the flavors. I would recommend eating these warm, right as they come off the pan. Try them plain or with just powdered sugar first before they become drenched in syrup and the flavors become overwhelmed.

The only catch to making these is you have to have an æbleskiver pan (or a takoyaki pan), otherwise you'll just be making pancakes.

Æbleskiver

4 eggs, cold, yolk and whites divided
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp turbinado
2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla

stick of butter
chopsticks

Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Place the egg whites in a medium sized metal bowl and whisk until stiff peaks are formed.

In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour through salt) and set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream together the egg yolks and turbinado. Add the buttermilk and vanilla to the mixing bowl, and then slowly add the dry ingredients until just combined (some small lumps may remain).

Using the whisk, add the egg whites to the batter and carefully fold together.

Place the æbleskiver pan on the stove on medium-low heat and allow it to get warm. Take the stick of butter and quickly rub into each divot. Using a spoon, pour 1 tbsp of batter into each divot. Next add 1/2 tsp of filling to each divot, then top with 1 tsp of batter, making sure to cover the filling completely (try and keep the filling from touching the sides, otherwise the æbleskive will have a hole in it). Do not fill each divot to the brim as it needs room to puff up.

After 2-3 min, use a pair of chopsticks to quickly flip the æbleskiver over to finish cooking. The second side will only need 1-2 min of cooking. Remove to a plate and top with powdered sugar.

~Yields 42 æbleskiver.

19 comments:

  1. 42 for 2 people? I'm impressed! They look beautiful, and sound delicious.

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  2. Sounds like they may taste like a very light french toast? they look great just wonderful what they taste like, not heavy enough to be a pancake texture....very interesting...would love to know more about these delicious danish....very nice

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  3. wow great job, happy new year wow 42!!

    Love Rebecca

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  4. My MIL got one of those for Christmas! I'm going to have to make a gluten free/dairy free version!

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  5. WOWzers!I agree with RObin. 42 for 2 peeps?! Delicious looking!

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  6. Now, I want one of those pans! Looks delicious!

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  7. This cakes (pans, cookies) looks great.
    I wish you have an excellent year...

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  8. I'm with everybody - 42?! Though that would be a great thing for brunch guests. And really, you had me at "eggnog."

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  9. Oh my goodness, I think an eating contest for aebleskiver would be kick ace, and you could totally host one! They looks so good I can understand that you could look down and realize they were gone in no time. I probably need to go find a pan like this - or the takoyaki!

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  10. Wow, I want one too. They look so tempting most especially with the filling inside. Happy New Year and have a fantastic year.

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  11. These are too cute! The pan reminds me of an Idly maker (a South Indian rice flour snack) and the shape of these lil cuties remind me of UFO's- how juvenile! The filling sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Brie!

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  12. Oh cool I was just reading about these, they look great. Surely you could polish off 21 in one sitting, you weren't trying hard enough! :D

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  13. I have a takoyaki pan. Should try this. Looks so cute and delicious. Thanks for sharing.

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  14. Happy New Year Brie.
    I am going to keep my eye out of one of those aebleskiver pans. Thank you so much for sharing.

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  15. I'm sooooo jealous of your aebleskiver pan! I was drooling over one at W-S before Christmas, but I barely have room for all my stuff in the kitchen as it is... so I behaved myself and decided not to buy it.
    I'll just have to live vicariously through this yummy post.
    Happy New Year! :)

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  16. They look great! Wonderful step by step directions too! I love the idea of wild blueberry jam too...yum!

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  17. Fantastic - my wife is of Danish origin and she proudly pulls out that funny-looking cast iron pan that was passed down from her grandmother on special occasions. We find lingonberry jam at Ikea, and add a little whipped cream too. A real treat!

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  18. @Vegetable thank you! yes, i had no idea the batter was going to make that many!

    @pegasuslegend yes, they are light, and i imagine eating them with maple syrup would taste a lot like french toast.

    @Chow Happy New Year! thanks!

    @GF fantastic! good luck! :)

    @Noelle yeah, and they go quickly, so i'm glad we actually ended up with so many

    @Thessa thanks, they're a lot of fun

    @dokuzuncubulut thank you! have a great new year!

    @Tasty yes, it really did - i wanted to drink the batter, but resisted ;)

    @Mae yes! that would be awesome! we just have to make sure those hot dog contest eating people don't find out...

    @Divina Happy New Year! they're delicious, so i recommend getting a pan if possible. i'm lucky i discovered these through receiving one as a gift.

    @Sanjana how neat! i bet there are many ways to make savory aebleskiver and have fun with the UFO theme. :) i love making food fun!

    @Conor haha, they were gone so quickly, i bet it could technically count as one sitting ;)

    @Mary oh great! yes, you should try this recipe then - very tasty!

    @mangocheeks Happy New Year! you're welcome - i hope you find a pan so you can enjoy these!

    @Polka i think you should get one! do it! ;)-

    @Stacy yes, the blueberry jam was the best. glad you enjoyed the post!

    @JP that's wonderful your wife has a pan that's been used for generations. i love that kind of thing. keep enjoying those aebleskiver!

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  19. I just had to leave a comment here even though it was poste over 6 months ago! My mother (Moe) and Grandmother (BesteMoe) both made aebleskiver. BesteMoe would tell stories of her life in Denmark while making us those delicious treats. Thank you for reminding me of those fond, beautiful memories! I can still smell them!

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