um…those aren’t apple slices

like many words, over time aebleskiver has lost its meeting. the definition of aebleskiver is apple slices, however the name refers to these amazing little round pancakes! although i am mostly italian, another part of my heritage that i celebrate is that of the danes. i dont meet people from denmark all that often (prolly because it is so great there that nobody wants to leave), so when i do i am super excited. there are some things about the danes that i just cant stand behind though: they save aebleskiver for christmas time! and they don’t even consider them a breakfast food (they are a snack or dessert)!

for those of you that don’t want to invest in a monk’s pan, and don’t know me well enough to invite yourself over for breakfast, if you ever find yourself in Solvang, California, make sure you make your way to the Solvang Restaurant where you can get these made the traditional way year-round.

i have to admit, i do not make these as often as i should…. but when i have extra buttermilk i feel compelled to make these or scones– today it was obviously these! mmmmmmm! i topped mine with wild Maine blueberry jam, though they are often served with powdered sugar and raspberry preserves. even though i halved the recipe, it was still far too much for me to eat, so i will be offering to share with one of my lucky pancake-loving friends.

just a quick side note: some of you may be thinking you have seen something like this before, but don’t recall them being danish…. that may be because some lame as-seen-on tv company came out with “pancake puffs” a few years ago. my feelings on this are mixed– on one hand, i want  everyone to try these, but on the other hand, people are haphazardly throwing instant pancake mix into a low-quality pan and this takes away from the experience.

Recipe:

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sugar

2 eggs

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

2 cups buttermilk

3 Tbsp melted butter

Sift dry ingredients. Beat egg yolks, add milk. Combine with dry ingredients, then add butter and egg whites.

Cook batter in monk’s pan, turning with knitting needles or skewers (you can use chopsticks or big toothpicks) until balls have formed. You can full them with fruit preserves if you like, or serve with the preserves on top/on the side. and powdered sugar, of course  [o:

Raspberry compote (you can use blueberries instead):

Package of frozen raspberries

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 cup water

Cook all ingredients in saucepan until berries burst and the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Serve immediately.