A Danish dessert, like doughnut holes, but sweeter & much better traditionally served with glogg during the Advent. Cooked in a cast iron pan that resembles an egg poacher. Serve hot with syrup, jam or powdered sugar.
2 egg whites
2 c all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tblsp white sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
4 tblsp butter, melted
2 c buttermilk
1 c vegetable oil for frying
Note: You will need an aebleskiver pan to cook these properly. Beat the whites stiff.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, sugar, melted butter and buttermilk at one time and beat until smooth. Gently fold in the egg whites last.
Put about 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in the bottom of each aebleskiver pan cup and heat until hot. Pour in about 2 tablespoons of the batter into each cup. As soon as they get bubbly around the edge,
turn them quickly (Danish cooks use a long knitting needle, but a fork will work). Continue cooking, turning the ball to keep it from burning.
Makes 30 Aebleskivers.
1/2 c whole, blanched almonds
1/2 c dark, seedles raisins
1 c akvavit (Danish liquor)
Combine wines, orange peel, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and sugar
in a large saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes. Do not boil! Pour mixture
back into wine bottles and cover tightly. Let stand 3-6 weeks
until ready to use.
Serving day, add: almonds, raisins and akvavit.
Strain brew from bottles into large saucepan. Heat to steaming.
Do not boil! Float orange slices studded with cloves. Ladle into
mugs. Be sure to include almonds and raisins into each mug. Serve
with a cinnamon stick. Serves 16 - 1/2 cup servings.
A unique Danish tradition: the Christmas heart
In early December decoration of the home begins. This interior exercise in paper chains, tinsel, hearts and candles is particularly important to the Danish Christmas.
Tulip and hyacinth bulbs hide under their cones of white paper on the window-sill, cardboard cut-out pixies and fairies peak from behind picture frames and
mirrors, mobiles swing and tinkle over the warmth of a candle. The imagination runs free. And it isn't only the living rooms that are given a Christmas face-lift; the
kitchen is, if anything, even more important. It will probably have a rich, red paper garland all the way round with pictures of gnomes and goblins cooking, baking
and roasting.
With the home decked out in its Christmas finery, the family get around to thinking of their cut-and-paste day, an afternoon in December when they gather a few
friends around the dining room table - to cut out special Christmas decorations for the tree. Everyone brings scissors, glue and colored paper, and embarks on the
challenge of making the traditional decorations for the Christmas tree: cones, baskets, angels, birds, hearts. The woven paper hearts are a Danish specialty. It is
nowhere to be seen in classic Christmas tree pictures in other countries. The traditional Danish heart is red and white, the colors of the Danish flag. Once you have
grasped the basic principles, you can develop the idea to a fine art.
These drawings reveal the secret of a most important manufacturing process in Danish homes before Christmas: how to make paper hearts for your Christmas tree!
Of course you could simply cut out two circles of glazed paper, fold them in half and glue them together more or less in the shape of a heart. The result is nice, and
even the youngest members of the family can cope with the materials. But the art of the genuine Christmas heart is to weave the two pieces together.
Follow these instructions, and keep an eye on the drawings:
Take two pieces of paper - for example gloss paper - and lay them on top of one another, and fold.
Cut the two pieces into two identical oblong (folded) pieces with one end closed. Draw lines from which to cut the ribs - in this example there are 3 ribs.
Cut the ribs a little longer than the width of the paper. Draw the curved line - use dividers or a cup - and cut it.
You now have to identical pieces. It is very important that they are identical, or it will be difficult to braid the heart.
Also cut out a handle for the heart.
Start braiding. By turns you braid the white lane inside and around the red lanes.
Continue with the 2nd white lane in the same way - etc.
When you have finished braiding, glue the handle on the inside of the heart.
The Icons below will guide you to the other Danish Recipe & Tradition Pages
