Danish AEbleskivers and Sunday Brunch

Æbleskivers filled with Marscapone and Candied Orange Zest

Celebrating a birthday with brunch and what better way than to call out to Oden and whip up some wonderful Danish “Apple Slices” or Æbleskivers. We come by these delightful round pancakes or Danish treats two ways. My darling dear’s father was born in Aalborg, Denmark and came to the United States in the mid-nineteen teens. He served in WWI, became a US citizen and later was elected to the Iowa State Legislature, serving with with honor and distinction.

These treats were a part of his family landscape and we inherited the Griswold 936 No. 32 cast iron pan when his mother passed. Taking this wonderfully seasoned pan out, placing on the gas invoked memories that stretched for decades. Thousands a miles away my Dad would whip up these delightful treats on New Year’s Day and other special occasions. Growing up it was so wonderful to anxiously await these little pillows of joy, filled with applesauce and sprinkled with powder sugar arriving on my breakfast plate. Little did I know how much effort it took to turn out enough for a family of four. What a gift. Tackling it myself,  I soon realized it could take better than an hour and a half to cook our platters of Æbleskivers to gobble up. And frankly, the batter lasted longer that my will to cook through it! There could have been enough to feed four more!

Wanting to be very traditional  I used the recipe from a cookbook that I bought shortly after we were married, see Dover Press’ Karen Berg, Danish Home Baking. Originally from the 1950’s and reprinted in 1972.  I focused on this method using yeast instead of buttermilk and baking powder and soda for the rising factors. It is a very light and fluffy batter and I somehow remember my Dad mixing the batter and waiting for it to rise until frying in the crazy shaped cast iron pan. There is something special about that patience, knowing the end result will be worth the wait!

I was considering a side-by-side comparison of the recipes, but really, I did want to enjoy the party more than conduct an analytical test kitchen experiment. My darling dear made homemade applesauce with cardamom and a bit of brandy for the filling. I also made some hand candied orange zest and marscapone for filling number two. A nice fresh combination to pair with the traditional. Sounds like me.

Here’s the recipe I used for the Candied Orange Zest.

I also candied some clementines to serve with the marscapone filled pancakes. I used this Food and Wine recipe, but be aware the moisture in the air makes a huge difference on how your hard candy shell sets up and not be a syrupy mess.

To round out our brunch we had a variety of fruit, a platter of crispy bacon, some other goodies like Tyler Florences’ Potato and Chorizo Tortilla.  What a wonderful day with family and food.

Tyler Florence’s Potato and Chorizo Tortilla with Arugala