Recipe: Danish Aebleskivers

Eddie Lin was in Solvang, CA for the Taste of Solvang a couple of weeks ago, and he tasted the famous Danish Aebleskiver. Above is a picture of Evan’s pan, which she also got in Solvang. A recipe for these Danish pancake balls follows. (My favorite part of the recipe is when it calls for a knitting needle.)

Aebleskiver (Danish Ball Pancakes)

4 separated eggs

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups buttermilk [or 3/4 C beer plus 1 1/4 C milk]

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 cups all purpose flour

oil or lard

Beat egg whites until stiff; set aside. Beat rest of ingredients until batter is very smooth. Fold in egg whites. Heat [at a moderate temperature] a well-seasoned monk’s pan (see tip below) with 1/8 teaspoon oil or lard in each of the 7 holes. Fill each hole [about three-quarters full] with batter. [Be sure to add a few drops of oil to each well in the pan before the next round of batter.]

When browned on one side (almost right away), turn with knitting needle [or two-tined fork] and keep turning until needle comes out clean after piercing through the cake. [We find that you need to turn these only once.]

Serve with flavored butters, such as maple or cinnamon honey, syrup, jam and brown or white sugar. Tips: You can purchase a cast iron monk’s pan at Scandinavia gift shops or at small town hardware stores in Danish communities. As for servings, plan on each person eating 7-10 cakes. Makes approximately 48 pancakes.