Monday, December 28, 2015

Scandinavian Christmas ~ Æbleskivers

Æbleskivers are traditional Danish pancakes which are cooked in the shape of a sphere. They can be made either sweet or savory, filled or unfilled. We made half plain and the remaining half filled with my home canned strawberry jam. A little dusting of powdered sugar adds just a touch of sweetness.



1 cup all-purpose flour
3 T. sugar
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
2 large eggs, separated
1 cup whole milk
2 T. unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 t. vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. 

In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract.

Add the egg yolk mixture to the bowl with the flour mixture. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir until the ingredients are well blended. The batter will appear slightly lumpy.

In a clean bowl, using an electric mixer set on high speed, beat the eggs whites until stiff, but not dry, peaks form. When the beaters are lifted, the egg whites should hold a firm peak that droops slightly at the top.

Pile about one-third of the beaten egg whites on top of the batter. Using a rubber spatula, slice down through the center of the mixture, then pull the spatula up along the side of the bowl and over the top, gently incorporating the two mixtures. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat until the egg whites have been incorporated.

Repeat this folding action with the remaining beaten egg whites until no white streaks remain, taking care not to deflate the batter too much. Use the batter right away.

Heat the Æbleskiver pan over medium heat. Brush the inside of the wells with melted butter, when you smell a light nutty aroma, begin to carefully fill the wells with the batter. Watch for bubbles to form up through the batter similar to the way pancakes cook.


When the Æbleskivers begin to brown, gently turn them over and let the other side brown as well.  


Remove from pan, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

If you are using a filling, add a small amount of batter to the pan, then add 1/2 t. of jam/jelly, and then a little more batter.

                       

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