“Whatever lifts the corners of your mouth, trust that.” – Rumi
NOTE: I spend my Wednesdays Unplugged from appointments. It’s my day to stay home, enjoy cooking and welcome our kids and grandkids for dinner in the evening. We end our meal with quotes from the Norwegian ‘Quote Cup’ passed on to me from my grandmother. I share a quote and a recipe here each week, along with an update and photos of what has been going on in our lives. I love trying new recipes…and love getting recipes you would like to share!
According to Ancestry.com I am 98% Norwegian and our tradition is lefse. Good friend Beata is Danish and her beloved tradition is AEbleskiver, danish pancakes. She was so excited to share, it was fun for everyone try them and see how they are made.
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
Beata demonstrated making AEbleskiver and made it look easy. Somehow I get the feeling that if I tried making them they wouldn’t turn out so beautifully so seemingly effortlessly! They look like donut holes but taste like pancakes!
AEBLSKIVER (Danish Pancakes)
EQUIPMENT
- AEbleskiver pan
- Wooden skewer or other pointy object
INGREDIENTS
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 eggs separated
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter melted and cooled to room temperature, plus more for the pan
- Powdered sugar and raspberry or strawberry jam and whipped cream (or maple syrup) for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk flour, baking powder, sugar, salt cardamom and nutmeg together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Whisk milk, egg yolks, vanilla and melted butter together in a large bowl until well combined. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
Place egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, whip until they come to medium peaks that are fluffy but not dry. Gently fold into the batter with a rubber spatula until just incorporated.
Heat an aebleskiver pan over medium low heat. Dot each round with a small cube of butter or brush with melted butter. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of batter into each round so that it is almost full. Cook until the bottom is just set, about a minute. Using a wooden skewer, gently turn each aebleskiver 90 degrees so that the batter spills out into the pan. Keep turning so that the side that is partially done is on the top. With the help of the skewer, continue cooking and turning until the aebleskiver are golden brown on all sides and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 6-8 minutes total. Adjust the heat downward if the aebleskiver are cooking too quickly.
Set aside on a wire rack to cool. Wipe out the pan with a damp paper towel and repeat with remaining batter. Dust with powdered sugar and serve warm with raspberry or strawberry jam if desired.
NOTES
- Monitor the heat carefully! It’s easy for these Danish pancakes to cook too fast on the outside and not be done on the inside. Start with the heat at medium low and then adjust downward if they are cooking too quickly. You can check the doneness of the interior of the aebleskiver by inserting a skewer into the center (it should come out clean with no batter attached).
- Begin to turn them once the first side is just set. This helps them become more round and prevents the bottom side from browning too quickly.
- Turn the aebleskiver frequently. You will end up with a more evenly done, golden brown round final product if you continue to turn them as they cook.