Aebleskiver!

Note: My recipes here are copied from the original cards used by my Mom, Marianna Olson. I added the commentary.

What Is It?

Aebleskiver!

What?

An Aebleskiver is a round pancake ball baked with lingonberry filling. You use an Aebleskiver Pan, which is a type of cast-iron pan having seven hemispherical pits for the Aebleskivers. You pour batter into each pit, and rotate the Aebleskiver by quarter turns as it bakes. A little fruit (or sausage) should be poked into the batter immediately after pouring. It takes some practice to get it right. Right is whatever suits your aesthetic sense for how a pancake ball should look. I consider excellence to be a perfect cannonball shape, but the pictures in books often present them as clam-shaped.

What Is A Lingonberry?

Lingonberries are tiny blue berries imported from Sweden (if you want to be authentic.) They are not especially flavorful. Add that to the list of good but slight flavorings in traditional Scandinavian recipes (cardamon, anise, buttermilk, hey.) Lingonberries are easier to find in Michigan than in the wild­ but shop around and you might be surprised. Look especially for Scandinavian specialty shops. It takes all kinds to make a world: IKEA Furniture (London, Paris, Hicksville) stocks a passable Lingonberry Jam.

Aebleskivers are also good with Swedish Fruit Soup (sorry, no recipe.) Be sure to have some sort of fruit preserves, on the side, to stuff inside baked Aebleskivers. You want something to add in case they're dry.

Aebleskivers do not keep well, even in the refrigerator. They are apt to get fuzzy quick.

Pictures: Aebleskiver Cook-Off

From the top down: cooking at my parents' house, my dad Al Olson, Me (Erik Olson), and Deanna Goerl (my girlfriend).

Pouring The Batter

 Turning The Aebleskivers

The Recipes

Aebleskiver 1 (Mom) 

4 eggs yolks
2 tbls sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
4 egg whites (stiffly beaten)
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder
vanilla
Beat egg yolks with sugar; add rest of ingredients, folding in beaten egg whites last. Cardamon may be used for flavoring. Bake in greased Aebleskiver pan, using shortening and part butter. (Or just margarine.)

Aebleskiver 2 (from an Aebleskiver Pan box) 

1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
Flour to make medium thick batter
2 cups buttermilk or sour milk
1 tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp melted butter
1 tbl sugar
Separate eggs. Cream yolks, sugar and shortening. Add salt, milk, soda, baking powder, and flour enough to make a medium thick batter. Fold in beaten egg whites last. Bake in butter in monk's pan. When half done, turn and finish baking.

A word about electric and gas ranges: I have had more consistent results on electric ranges than with gas. The flame tends to cook the central pit too quickly, and the outer pits too slowly.

This Recipe Contributed by Thomas Webster: 

IT'S GREAT TO KNOW AEBLESKIVERS HAVE WORKED THEIR WAY ONTO THE INTERNET.

			Aebleskivers (My family's recipe)

I timed myself and was able to make these (first batch on pan) in just under 15 minutes!

Here's what you'll need: 

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup milk

Peanut Oil for pan ( or melted butter, margarine )

Skewers for turning.
My family recipe says to sift the flour, but I just put it in a bowl and stir in the other dry ingredients. Then I take the egg and put in a small bowl, beat it and set it aside. Next I take the 2 Tbsp butter and Microwave* it. Combine butter with milk, then add beaten egg. Now pour this mixture onto flour mixture and whisk it til batter is smooth. Batter should be a bit thick, not runny.

Make sure pan is heated,( i use med-lo setting on my electric ) and brush each cup lightly with oil.

Fill each cup about 3/4 full.

In about 30 seconds a thin shell will form on the bottom of each aebleskiver. Stick a skewer into baked portion and gently pull shell almost halfway up so inner batter flows out.

Continue to rotate each pancake ball about every 30 seconds or so until they form balls.

My brother likes to fill them when they are half way cooked, sealing the Jam in the middle.

I prefer to break them open afterwards and fill them.

Bacon, Sausages and Fruit are good to serve along with.

* if you want, you can melt the butter for the recipe in one of the cups while the pan warms up! when melted, carefully pour into bowl and by that time it will be cool enough to add.

enjoy!

Thanks, Thom!

Where Can I Buy That Cast Iron Pan? (Or Lingonberries?)

More Aebleskiver Lore

When I was in 7th grade in Lubbock, Texas, we had an "International Day." I brought Aebleskivers to share with my class. They were naturally taken aback by this strange but edible food. But, for the remainder of the school year I was known to the older kids by various epithets such as "Skeever".

Moral: If your kid takes Aebleskivers to school he had better have a thick skin.

My Aebleskiver Pan was a Christmas present from Mom. I had asked to take one to college.

Another time, Mom bought an extra pan on a trip and tried to take it on the airplane in carry-on. I have done that without incident, but the airport security stopped her and the pan at the X-ray machine. Never having heard of any such thing as an Aebleskiver pan, they were however satisfied with an explanation and the picture on the outside of the box.

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