Thursday, December 29, 2016

I knew I shouldn't have worn the red shirt

Abby's asleep in her dog bed, sulking that I wouldn't buy her the Star Trek Captains Chair dog bed for Christmas.  (I got her all kind of Tribble-like stuffies but currently as relaxed is she is in her super poofy dog bed by the couch where we sit before bed, her digestive track set to "stun", we weren't looking to make her extra, extra relaxed).

Yesterday morning, everything outside was covered with frost, with temps down in the 20's and a moist air mass stalking the area. Not a good way to start the day and starting the day feeling icky it was just going to go downhill. 


I got off work early, and am taking a sick day today, due to a stomach/flu bug going around work, someone else taking over my work for a couple of days. I knew I shouldn't have worn the red shirt. (For those of you who grew up on a deserted island and never watched Star Trek, the Red Shirt is the character phaser-cannon fodder taken out quickly in the plot line to alert viewers to danger.)

It began with just the sniffles and a rumbling tummy and by the end of the day, I was part of landing party Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy and the Dead Guy, better known as Ensign Ricky in the red shirt. I started out thinking I was going to save the planet and I ended up as the smoking boots behind the giant paper mache boulder.

By the afternoon I was pretty much useless. I felt bad, but making everyone else sick is not a way to keep your team happy. So they sent me home. All I wanted to do is make a pot of tea and something easy, but warm and comforting for dinner.

Aebleskiver.  (recipe in the comments)

click to enlarge photos


No, those aren't donut holes.

The aebleskiver (also spelled ableskiver) are a Danish pastry similar to pancakes with a soft texture inside similar to a popover. They are traditionally served before Christmas with Gløgg, topped with butter (sometimes) and jam (always) and dusted with powdered sugar (they aren't sweet by themselves). To start, you will need a aebleskiver pan, usually made of cast iron, as those conduct the heat the best. The traditional pans can be found in a number of Scandinavian specialty stores or catalogs or you purchase one of the new style ones here.


As they cook on the stove top, thin crusts will form on bottoms of balls (centers will still be wet). This is where the fun begins. You get a slender wood skewer (I use a clean knitting needle) and pierce the crust with one and gently pull shell to rotate the pancake ball until about half the cooked portion is above the cup rim and uncooked batter flows down into cup. You then cook until the crust on bottom of ball is again firm enough to pierce, about another minute, then rotate ball with skewer until the ridge formed as the pancake first cooked is on top. Then you complete cooking, rotating your balls until done. (Don't go there, I have a sharp skewer in my hand).

Have some of your favorite jam ready (Lingonberry!) and powdered sugar. If you want to make filled ones, add a half a teaspoon of jam to the batter just before you make your first turn.

Warning: the first time you make these you might warn anyone around you to stand far away while you work with the pointed needles. There is a chance you might be waving them around and cursing in Norwegian by the time you are done, these do take a batch or two to get the process perfected.

So make a batch and enjoy. But I'll warn you, they won't last any longer than Ensign Ricky.

12 comments:


  1. Ingredients
    1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
    3 tablespoons sugar
    2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
    1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1/8 teaspoon of Penzey's Vanilla
    1 large egg
    1 cup milk
    2 tablespoons melted butter

    Preparation
    In a bowl, mix flour with sugar, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. In a small bowl, beat egg to blend with milk, vanilla and 2 tablespoons butter. Add liquids to dry ingredients and stir JUST until evenly moistened. (there may be some small lumps in the batter)

    Place an aebleskiver pan over medium-low heat. When pan is hot enough to make a drop of water do the hustle on it (about 360 degrees) brush pancake cups lightly with melted butter and fill each to slightly below the rim with batter (a 1/8 cup measure is perfect for this).

    In about 1 and 1/2 minutes, thin crusts will form on bottoms of balls (centers will still be wet); pierce the crust with a slender wood skewer (knitting needles work great) and gently pull shell to rotate the pancake ball until about half the cooked portion is above the cup rim and uncooked batter flows down into cup. Cook until crust on bottom of ball is again firm enough to pierce, about another minute, then rotate ball with skewer until the ridge formed as the pancake first cooked is on top. Cook, turning occasionally with skewer, until balls are evenly browned and no longer moist in the center, another 2-3 minutes (depending on the type of pan, such as teflon, it make take a couple extra minutes but with a good seasoned cast iron the total cooking time for each batch should be about 4-5 minutes

    .Check by piercing center of last pancake ball added to pan with skewer--it should come out clean--or by breaking the ball open slightly; if balls start to get too brown, turn heat to low until they are cooked in the center. Lift cooked balls from pan and serve hot.

    If you want to make filled ones, add a half a teaspoon of jam or a small spoonful of cooked sausage to the batter just before you make your first turn.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hari OM
    POTP to you and snuggles to Abby... and yum... YAM xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. We hope you are feeling better quickly. Mom said she must have been on that island.

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

    ReplyDelete
  4. My late Mother-in-law use to make aebleskiver's
    I remember they were good,and tasty.
    Hope you feel better soon.

    Astro and Linda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Astro - Mom is feeling better tonight, and is going to go back to work tomorrow.

      But first - I need a treat!
      Abby

      Delete
  5. OMD Sending POTP.
    Now about that BED... Our mom went WILD... SHE is a TOTAL Trekkie...or TREKKER... or NUT CASE... She Totally understood the RED SHIRT thingy...
    If She had HER way... SHE would have that Bed fur HERSELF... as fur US... we would take the Tribbles ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. After dinner and some herb tea Mom says she is feeling better. I'm still going to work on her to get that bed though.

      Abby Lab

      Delete
  6. Those look sooo good! We want you to come to Vancouver and make a big batch fur us. But not until you feel better!
    Your Furend
    Louis Dog Armstrong

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You could probably talk Mom into that. She went to college her first year in Seattle and she and her friends drove up to Vancouver ALL the time. What a beautiful place you live! (Ok, and the fact that the drinking age was lower had NOTHING to do with the trips :-)

      Abby Lab

      Delete
  7. Do you have snow yet? (In Virginia we had! Only a sprinkle, though; not enough for even Virginians to declare a snow day.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We had a few inches a couple of weeks ago. Nothing now. We had temps in the 50's over Christmas.

      Delete
    2. We had a few inches a couple of weeks ago. Nothing now. We had temps in the 50's over Christmas.

      Delete

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