Sunday, April 5, 2009

Aebleskiver Sunday - Danish Pancake Balls

 
I have always been intrigued by Aebleskivers but I had never made them. There was a pan at Williams Sonoma that I was looking at before Christmas and when I went to buy one they were sold out! Last week, I was in the store browsing and saw that they had them in stock again so, naturally, one came home with me :)



My new pan worked beautifully and I was very pleased with my first attempt. I had been worried if I would be successful at flipping them over!


I filled them with diced apples that I had sauteed in butter and then added some cinnamon and sugar. The result was very tasty but there was just a little something missing in my mind. I looked in the frig and found a jar of Sarabeth's Plum and Cherry preserves. I added a heaping tablespoon of the preserves to the sauteed apples before making the next batch and that did the trick! They were puffy, light and delicious on the outside and moist and flavorful inside!


If you are lucky enough to have an aebleskiver pan you probably have a recipe already but I am sharing it for those of you who may be thinking about buying one :)

Aebleskiver – Danish Pancake Balls
Printable Recipe

The recipe is also located here.

One of Denmark's most famous types of pastry, Aebleskiver (in Danish, "Apple Slices") are light, melt-in-your-mouth pancake balls that taste like a cross between a pancake and a donut. Once you master the knack of using an aebleskiver pan, you may never buy fat-filled commercial donuts again!

Ingredients:

2 apples, peeled, cored, pared, and chopped into 1/2” pieces
1 Heaping Tablespoon Preserves, such as plum or cherry (optional)
2 Tbsp. butter plus butter to grease aebleskiver pan
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Preparation:

Place aebleskiver pan over medium-high burner and bring up to heat (to the point where butter sizzles on the surface).

In a separate pan, lightly sauté apple pieces in 2 Tbsp. butter until softened but still firm. Sprinkle with cinnamon. (Or in my case, add a little sugar and a tablespoon of your favorite preserves).

Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Whisk egg yolks and sugar together until creamy. Sift together flour and baking powder; gradually stir flour and buttermilk, alternating with each 1/2-cup addition, into egg mixture. Gently fold beaten egg whites into batter.

Reduce heat under aebleskiver pan to medium. Place 1/8 tsp. butter into each well to grease, using a pastry brush to coat surface of wells entirely.

Spoon batter into each well, filling half-way (about 1-2 teaspoons). Place a teaspoon of apple filling on the batter, then spoon enough additional batter over apple to cover and fill well to the top. Allow to cook until the edges of each “pancake” begin to brown and pull away from the sides of the wells. Lightly run a knife (I used two wooden skewers) around the edge of each ball to loosen, and then flip over to cook through (about 2 minutes).

Remove the aebleskiver to a plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar to serve.

Alternative: Although aebleskiver are commonly filled with apple slices, you can substitute jam, dried fruit, or even cheese to create a delicious range of both sweet and savory variations.

Yield: 28 aebleskiver.

14 comments:

  1. I've not succumbed yet but I keep looking at them -- perhaps you'll make me change my mind!

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  2. Martha..get it, they are fun!
    Susan, glad you enjoyed them..
    A little daunting for a crowd though, you think?
    Perfect breakfast, they look delicious.
    I like them with the apples inside too.
    Pretty apron, and glad you could use the napkins!

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  3. Susan, this could make me change my mind! I have admiring the aebelskiver for at least three years now. The apron is pretty, and Kathleen's napkins are perfect for you!

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  4. Your pan is far nicer than mine:)! I am going to try your recipe Susan..They look sublime..You sure know how to make aprons look pretty:)
    PS I LOVE those napkins too:)

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  5. Sure Susan, all I need is one more pan!! lol The aebelskiver pan looks like fun abd the recipe...delicious!! I could really get into making those little morsels.

    The napkins and especially the rings are so cute, I'm sure you will get lots of use out of them..leave it to Kathleen to pick out something so unique!

    Not much one to wear aprons,but very pretty.

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  6. Oh, Susan, you are making me think I need this pan! They look so yummy. Pretty gifts too!

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  7. Mmmmmm, these look SO yummy!! I really want one of those pans now.

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  8. Your aebleskivers look delicious. I can see why you wanted the pan. The addition of the preserves in the recipe sounds like a great choice.

    What a sweet apron from Monique, and the rooster napkins and napkin rings are very nice. Kathleen IS the ultimate bargain shopper.

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  9. I saw the pan at Williams-Sonoma, but I was so busy looking for someone who was supposed to be meeting me, LOL, that I never went back on line to buy one :) Your aebleskivers look fantastic and I have that pan on my wish list!

    Pretty apron from Monique! Love the rooster napkins and rings from Kathleen! Nice gifts :)

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  10. I've never had aebleskivers but I am sure I'd love them. What nice gifts from our blogging buddies. I love the napkins especially! I like all of your photos in this post, but the first one is just very special.

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  11. My mom was taught how to make these by a Danish friend and even bought the pan. I thought they're pretty good too- I love the shape of them and being able to bite into the apple on the inside.

    We don't have anything quite like them in Norway.

    -Siri

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  12. Ooo..I want that pan, the mini pancakes look very pretty :)

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  13. I've picked up a pan so many times in various kitchen shops and have never given in. But they are so pretty and appetizing... and if you promise they don't stick...

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  14. Thank you, ladies :)

    They didn't stick at all, Cathy! I could have been the quality of the pan also.

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