How to: Æbleskivers

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. In my family, we make many different sorts of breakfast foods, especially of the cake variety. Of all those foods, my favorite is a Danish dish called æbleskivers. They are basically round (like a golf ball) buttermilk pancakes that are eaten dipped in sugar or jam. They're made in a special pan that makes seven æbleskivers at a time. Supposedly, my great grandfather used to eat four pans in one sitting...that's 28 æbleskivers!

Here's how they're made:

2 cups buttermilk (the higher the fat content, the better)

4 eggs

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups flour

Shortening (Crisco) for pan

Start heating up the æbleskiver pan on a medium heat. Separate the eggs, putting yolks and whites in separate mixing bowls. Beat the white until very stiff. Mix egg yolks and buttermilk until well blended. Sift the baking soda and baking powder into the buttermilk/yolk mixture along with the flour. Once the wet ingredients are thoroughly mixed, and the sides of the bowl have been scraped down, pour it into the egg white bowl and gently fold with a spatula or large spoon until incorporated.

In the heated (medium-high) pan, place a small portion (1/2 teaspoon each) of vegetable shortening in the depressions for each æbleskiver. Butter doesn't really work for this, as it scorches too easily and doesn't make the outside of the æbleskiver crispy. Spoon some of the batter into each depression, so that it barely reaches the top edge. It will expand slightly as it cooks, so you don't want to over fill. After 1-2 minutes, use a wooden skewer or a fork to turn the æbleskivers. This is done by inserting the skewer or fork into the middle and rolling it onto the other side...it just takes a little practice. Let the other side cook for 1-2 minutes and serve hot, with sugar or jam. So good!