How to make aebleskivers, the perfect New Year’s Day breakfast
- Aebleskivers are spherical Danish pancakes traditionally served on New Year’s Day
- The technique takes a little time to perfect but they are fun to make – kids will love to lend a hand
I’m assuming (hoping) that most people are having a socially-distant New Year’s Eve and staying home or gathering in very small groups, rather than going out and partying with friends and strangers, as we might in normal years. So instead of being groggy (read: hungover) on the morning of New Year’s Day, you can be up bright and early, and spend a little more time making breakfast for the family.
Aebleskivers
I first ate aebleskivers in the Danish town of Solvang, California, where I watched with fascination as the cooks made these spherical pancakes. They poured batter into a pan with half-sphere indentations, let it set slightly, then gave several turns to the pancakes until they were brown, somewhat hollow and almost perfectly round.
The cooks dusted the aebleskivers with icing sugar and added a dollop of jam before handing the plate (or takeaway container) to the customers.
They’re really fun to make – your children will love to help out. If you can’t find an aebleskiver pan at your local cookware shop or online, visit a shop specialising in Japanese household products and buy a takoyaki pan, instead: these are meant for Japanese octopus balls, which are cooked in a similar manner.
They come as stovetop pans (either in cast-iron or far more flimsy non-stick; I prefer the former) or electrical units (which cook them more evenly).
The cooking technique described below sounds much more difficult than it is; while your first attempts might not yield perfectly round balls (although the aebleskivers will still be edible) they will improve quickly with practice.
