flipÆbleskiver — Golden Christmas Eve Pancake Balls
Æbleskiver — Golden Christmas Eve Pancake Balls
Why this dish? Andersen, attached to Danish festivities and Christmas Eve gatherings, would have encountered these round fritters served hot with coffee in the bourgeois homes of Copenhagen where he was received, the storyteller invited from table to table.
Small leavened batter balls, browned in a cast-iron pan with hemispherical molds, turned one by one with a knitting needle until round and fluffy. Served hot, dusted with sugar and with jam, during Advent.
Ah, the smell of æbleskiver on a December evening! In the houses where I was invited to read my tales aloud, they would pour the batter into the iron mold with a knitting needle, turning each ball until it was round as a little golden moon. They dusted them with sugar, put a spoon of jam on top, and the children reached out their hands. For the poor boy I had been, those evenings were like a fairy tale. Eat them burning hot, I beg you, that is how they keep their promise.
- •Wheat flour — to measure (structure)
- •Eggs (yolks and whites separated) — a few (binding and lightness)
- •Milk or buttermilk — as needed (batter)
- •Yeast or sourdough — a little (leavening)
- •Ground cardamom — a pinch (signature aroma)
- •Butter — for the pan (cooking)
- •Sugar — for dusting (finish)
Æbleskiver — Golden Christmas Eve Pancake Balls
Small leavened batter balls, browned in a cast-iron pan with hemispherical molds, turned one by one with a knitting needle until round and fluffy. Served hot, dusted with sugar and with jam, during Advent.
Why this dish? Andersen, attached to Danish festivities and Christmas Eve gatherings, would have encountered these round fritters served hot with coffee in the bourgeois homes of Copenhagen where he was received, the storyteller invited from table to table.
Ah, the smell of æbleskiver on a December evening! In the houses where I was invited to read my tales aloud, they would pour the batter into the iron mold with a knitting needle, turning each ball until it was round as a little golden moon. They dusted them with sugar, put a spoon of jam on top, and the children reached out their hands. For the poor boy I had been, those evenings were like a fairy tale. Eat them burning hot, I beg you, that is how they keep their promise.
Ingredients (period version)
- Wheat flour — to measure (structure)
- Eggs (yolks and whites separated) — a few (binding and lightness)
- Milk or buttermilk — as needed (batter)
- Yeast or sourdough — a little (leavening)
- Ground cardamom — a pinch (signature aroma)
- Butter — for the pan (cooking)
- Sugar — for dusting (finish)
Ingredients
- Flour — 250 g (structure)
- Eggs — 3 (whites beaten separately) (binding and lightness)
- Buttermilk (or milk + 1 tsp lemon juice) — 350 ml (batter)
- Baking powder — 1 tsp (leavening)
- Ground cardamom — 1/2 tsp (signature aroma)
- Sugar — 1 tbsp + for dusting (sweetness and finish)
- Butter — for the pan (cooking)
Method
- Mix flour, baking powder, cardamom, and sugar; add egg yolks and buttermilk to form a smooth batter.
- Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and fold in gently to lighten the batter.
- Heat an æbleskiver pan, butter each well, and pour batter almost to the rim.
- When the edges set, turn each ball a quarter turn with a knitting needle (or wooden skewer), then again, to form a sphere.
- Cook until golden and dry in the center; serve hot, dusted with sugar, with jam.
How it was made : Æbleskiver take their name from the 'apple slices' (æbleskiver) once placed in the center of the batter before the fruitless version prevailed. The cast-iron pan with hemispherical molds and the technique of turning with a knitting needle remain unchanged; cardamom, a costly spice brought by trade, marks Danish festive sweets.
The contemporary twist : Stack in a pyramid on a floral plate, dust with icing sugar like snow, and add a dot of redcurrant jam to recall the Nordic palette.
Hans Christian Andersen · Charactorium
