Ebelskivers: Cookbook's recipes offer 150 ways (2024)

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Chocolate ebelskivers from "150 Best Ebelskiver Recipes" by Camilla Saulsbury

(A(c) RobertRose.ca)

What would you get if you crossed silver dollar pancakes with chocolate doughnut holes and banana mini muffins?

The result might be something like a chocolate-banana ebelskiver. These cocoa-powder-enhanced puffs are among cookbook author Camilla V. Saulsbury's many-flavored takes on round Danish pancakes.

Aebelskiver (say 'able-skee-voh') translates as "apple slice," referring to what's traditionally a recipe for batter-covered cuts of the fruit. It would be fair to say that most Americans have never heard of ebelskivers, even in their more familiar apple-free form, slathered with raspberry jam and powdered sugar.

Saulsbury, however, has managed to come up with enough variations to produce the "150 Best Ebelskiver Recipes" cookbook (Robert Rose, $24.95). She presents them as breakfast treats, appetizers, sandwich stand-ins, desserts, quick breads and just plain sensible snacks.

The options are sweet or savory, using plain flour or a variety of grains: quinoa, oats, flax, millet, spelt. Meaty types conceal bacon, ham, pepperoni, sausage, turkey or crabmeat. Some are inspired by pastries or coffeecake, others are citrus-flavored or drizzled with chocolate, or filled with sweet cream cheese or caramel and pecans. There are muesli ebelskivers and “campfire s'mores puffs.” Her Mediterranean ebelskiver has olive oil, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and basil blended into the batter.

“There is something about a small, savory bite that can be really satisfying,” she says. “These are really great for curing a craving mid-afternoon.” On the sweet side, “you can get the sense of a doughnut, but this has nowhere near the calories or the fat that you have in a doughnut,” she says.

It should be noted that Saulsbury has an impressive track record for remixing a recipe in hundreds of ways. She has produced 18 cookbooks. Two of her previous titles: “500 Best Quinoa Recipes” and “750 Best Muffin Recipes” (which, in my opinion, has what might be the best recipe for high-fiber oat bran muffins; they manage to be light, airy and delicious with very little sugar).

A sociologist-turned-food writer, Saulsbury also has won thousands in cooking contests: $100,000 for a chicken recipe, $50,000 for a burger recipe, and $5,000 when she won the Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown for cookies.

She says she was introduced to ebelskivers when her brother gave her one of the 7-well pans required to make them. About a decade later – after she had a few books under her belt, she decided to revisit ebelskivers, thinking there was a lot more that could be done with the pan than she had seen previously.

Saulsbury writes that ebelskiver pans were likely introduced to Denmark by way of trade with Asia, where similar pans produce the Chinese bubble waffles gai daan jai; the octopus-filled Japanese takoyaki, the Thai coconut puddingkhanom krok, and the spicy or sweet Indian dumplings paniyaram. The cookbook includes such recipes, and Saulsbury also makes ebelskivers with international inspiration from the Korean green onion pancakes pajeon, French gougère cheese puffs and the Greek spinach pastry spanakopita.

“I wanted to expand the possibilities,” Saulsbury says, “to think about all of the flavors. I thought about different breads in other cultures and re-imagined them in ebelskiver form.”

RECIPE: Pajeon ebelskivers (Korean green onion pancakes)

“I make them a lot, especially now that it's cold,” says the Californian, who is now based in Texas. “If we are making soup or chili for dinner, I will make some of the cornbread or green onion ones.”

Beyond their appealing size and flavor, Saulsbury says she appreciates the make-ahead convenience of ebelskivers. “I usually just put them into a sealed Tupperware-type container and reheat them in the microwave for a few seconds. Her son, 7, also loves them. “If you put them in a lunch box they will come to room temperature by lunch time.”

Ease and fun shapes also make ebelskivers great party food, she says. “They are pretty cost effective, the batter is inexpensive and then you just have a little bit of the fillings. You can really stretch your budget. It's fun because people are impressed by then, but they are really simple to make.”

Ebelskiver technique

Beating egg whites to stiff peaks is key in most of Saulsbury's ebelskiver recipes,creating a light batter that helps them rise along with baking soda or baking powder. Her technique calls for flipping the ebelskivers with two skewers, but the traditional Danish method calls for a series of gradual turns that result in round ebelskivers. There are numerous ebelskiver demonstration recipes on YouTube. One of the best for technique is by Danish chef Arne Hansen, former owner of Solvang Restaurant in California. (Search Aebelskiverarne and also watch the wordless “Howto: TAKOYAKI cooking” video.)

Saulsbury says getting the pan to the right temperature is key. “If the pan's not hot enough, it's not going to cook quickly, and it will be very difficult to flip them over.” At the right temperature, flipping is relatively easy with a little practice. Saulsbury uses a scoop for equal measures, but Danish cooks pour the batter from a pitcher, poke the ebelskivers with a skewer and use the skewer to remove them.

“They are not precious at all,” Saulsbury says. “Once you get used to it, you can fill the wells really full, and you can just flip it a little bit at a time, as they do in Denmark. “It's not as strict as you might think.” .

I tested Saulsbury's recipes in a Nordicware ebelskiver pan with good results. I also turned leftover batter into pancakes that were light and fluffy, although not as cute. Saulsbury says the batter also can be cooked in a waffle iron. "You wouldn't want to put jelly or other fillings in your waffle maker, however." Got an egg poacher that fits over a pot? "You could use that as well," she says. "If you have the water up to a boil, it will take just a few minutes longer but it will be the same thing. I've done it before, so it does work."

Once you've mastered them, three to five ebelskivers make a single serving. Saulsbury suggests preparing two or three per person for appetizers. “If I were doing them for a party, I'd rewarm them in the oven.” Heat the oven to about 250 degrees, put them all on a baking sheet and warm for about 15 minutes, she advises.

Further, Saulsbury says ebelskivers are a good choice for planned treats that can help with sensible eating. In addition to being a wife, mother and cookbook author, Camilla V. Saulsbury, Ph.D also is a fitness instructor who teaches seven exercise classes a week.

“My diet is very full of vegetables and whole grains, but I can't imagine life without sweet treats,” she says. “If you plan on something delicious and good as part of your diet, you are going to stick with it that much more easily.” Stretching ourselves beyond the usual recipes also helps," she says. “The opportunities for deliciousness expand when you try more things.”

Ebelskiver recipe

Cocoa banana ebelskivers

— From "150 Best Ebelskiver Recipes" by Camilla V. Saulsbury Makes about 28

Ingredients
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄2 tsp baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs, separated
1 cup milk
2/3 cup mashed very ripe bananas (2 medium)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Vegetable oil
Confectioners' sugar

Equipment: 7-well ebelskiver pan, skewers

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, egg yolks, milk, bananas and butter until well blended.

3. Add the egg yolk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just blended (the batter will appear slightly lumpy). Gently stir in chocolate chips.

4. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg whites until frothy. Increase speed to high and beat until stiff, but not dry, peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, gently mix one-third of the egg whites into the batter. Gently fold in the remaining whites.

5. Brush wells of pan lightly with oil. Set pan over medium heat. When oil begins to sizzle, add 2 tablespoons of batter to each well. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until bottoms are crisp-firm to the touch. Using two skewers, flip the puffs over. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp-firm to the touch and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Remove pan from heat and transfer puffs to a plate. Let pan cool slightly.

6. Repeat with the remaining batter, brushing wells with oil and reheating pan before each batch.

7. Dust the ebelskivers with confectioners' sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Tip: It will take about 2 medium n equal amount of regular semisweet chocolate chips may be used in place of the miniature chocolate chips. Coarsely chop the chips for more even distribution of the chocolate throughout the ebelskivers.

– © 2013 Robert Rose Inc. www.robertrose.ca May not be reprinted without publisher permission.