A Danish Dessert: Æbleskivers
If you were to cross a pancake with a popover, you'd get an Æbleskiver. I love eating these traditional Danish pancakes -- they aren't too sweet, have a fluffy texture and are usually served with a variety of jams. I think they would make the perfect breakfast food, served with hot chocolate or coffee. In Denmark, though, they are usually enjoyed around Christmastime paired with glogg, a Scandinavian mulled wine.
The most notable feature of aebleskivers is their spherical shape, which is achieved by using a special cast iron pan. Batter is poured into individual indentations and as they start to get color, the cakes are flipped to the other side with knitting needles or skewers. The basic batter includes wheat flour, dairy (buttermilk, milk, cream or some combination), eggs, sugar and a pinch of salt. Some recipes add butter, cardamom or lemon zest for more flavor. The cakes are dusted with icing sugar before serving and paired with jam, usually raspberry or strawberry.
- But an Aebleskiver Pan
- Buy an Aebleskiver Cookbook
- Henry Public in Brooklyn (code named Wilkinsons on the menu)
Eden Grinshpan graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in London with the “Grande Diplome” in both Pastry and Cuisine. After graduating she went to India to volunteer with different organizations, one of them being an orphanage called Ramanas Garden. Here she came up with the idea of raising money for the orphanage by re-opening a café, which had not been in operation for some time, and teaching the children the basics of culinary cuisine. After returning to New York City, Eden enrolled in a management program at The Institute of Culinary Education before working at the bakery, Babycakes. Eden is the co-owner of EthNicitY Productions, and hosts Eden Eats, a traveling show to find global cuisine in cities across the US. Check out Eden’s blog, Eden Eats, and follow Eden on Facebook and @EdenEats on Twitter.
