stuart james beall

 Aebleskiver is the Danish word for apple fritter. It is a type of pancake or donut. This is a Rocky-Mountain version of Danish apple fritters, derived from a recipe provided by Harry J. Goodro.

You will need:

1- Danish aebleskiver pan (Lodge makes the best cast-iron aebleskiver pans)

2- a gas-fired stove, or glass cooktop

3- electric beater or whisk-type beater

4- cutting board with chopping knife

5- cold butter – at least a stick

6- fresh apples

7- cinnamon powder

8- buttermilk

9- chicken eggs

10- all-purpose flour

11- natural cane or granulated sugar

12- sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)

13- sea salt (do NOT use any “free-flowing” concoction)

14- cream of tartar

15- large mixing bowl with soup-size spoon

16- medium whipping bowl

17- fork, knitting needle, or wooden chopstick

18- serving plate

Peel and core three or four large apples. Choose a variety that is crisp and juicy, rather than “delicious” – soft and pithy. Chop the apple fruit into small bits. Separate two fresh eggs: put the whites into the beater bowl, and the yolks into the mixing bowl. Discard the shells.

Whip the egg whites on high speed until they start to peak. Add 1.2 ml cream of tartar, and continue whipping until peaks hold stiff.

In the mixing bowl, add 300 ml buttermilk, 3 ml sodium bicarbonate, 500 ml flour, 3 ml sea salt, 5 ml cinnamon powder, and 60 ml white sugar. Stir together well with egg yolks to form a batter.

Add the chopped apples, and stir completely into the batter. Gently stir the whipped egg whites into the batter. Heat the aebleskiver pan over medium heat for a few minutes, then smear some butter generously into each cup. I use a fork stuck into a cold stick of butter. If the butter burns quickly, reduce the heat slightly. The center cup tends to be the hottest; you may want to avoid using it until you’ve cooked a few rounds in the outer cups.

Using the spoon, place scoops of batter into each cup. Try to fill no more than 2/3 full. When the edges are brown, use the knitting needle or chopstick to turn. Push one edge gently toward the pan bottom, so that the ball “rolls over”. If it doesn’t turn completely over, don’t fret. Let it cook for another minute, then roll it a little more onto the area that didn’t quite cook.

Remove the aebleskivers from the pan, and place on a serving plate. Always smear some fresh butter into each cup before adding fresh batter to the pan.

There are countless ways to serve aebleskivers. You can roll the cooled aebleskivers in powdered sugar. You can dip the hot aebleskivers into maple syrup. You can cut one in halves, and smear your favorite jelly on it. You can make a warm glaze or icing, dip the aebleskivers into the icing, and allow to harden.

Addendum: I’ve made aebleskivers with buttermilk, and aebleskivers with almond milk. The buttermilk version is the best, by far.

-SJB-