Ebelskivers (Pancakes That Fit In Your Mouth)

I got married a little over a year ago and one of the most awesome things I got to do was ask for free stuff for my kitchen. The first store I registered in was Williams Sonoma, because my heart stops when I walk into one. And because I spend hours and hours creating wishlists on their site. And because that's where I would like to work if we had one closer to my hometown. And because I have no other use for my hard-earned money than to spend $20 on a bottle of dish washing liquid that matches my kitchen. It's the little things.

(For the record, I have only ever bought the dish soap when I had gift cards. I'm not CRAZY, y'all!)

One of the things I registered for but didn't get (probably one of those things people just said "what the fuck is this?" and decided instead I needed three pizza pans) was an Ebelskiver (able-skeever) pan.

Here is the lovely pan I coveted for a year, priced at a reasonable 39.95.

Well, guess what! I did need three pizza pans. And, I bought the pan myself, only a year later. But here's a secret!

You can get one at Target for 9.99, guys. Here you go. The only difference is this one is made out of cast iron instead of the non-stick material, but that's ok! You're from the South, you ain't scared of a little cast iron, are ya, darlin'?

The pan came with a cookbook and instructions that I promptly lost, so I sucked it up and bought the cookbook that Williams Sonoma had. Like all of their cookbooks, you had better have goat cheese, freshly ground nutmeg, and maybe some smoked salmon on hand. Ok, this book wasn't as nearly as bad as some of the books I've seen, it just takes a little extra work, and it's very intimidating for some reason. The crisp pictures? The onslaught of descriptive adjectives? The fact the pages are of such high quality they don't stick together after I spill butter and sugar all over them? Who knows.

If you didn't read any of the info on those links, or if you have never heard of Ebelskivers (maybe this paragraph should be first...), they are basically little puffy pancake balls that you can put stuff inside. Jellies, chocolate, puddings, meats, cheese, herbs - if you can think it up, I bet you can put it in there. This morning I finally decided I would try it out, but I took the easy route and just made them straight with no filling.

I used the basic recipe from the book:

Classic Ebelskivers

(makes 21 pancakes)

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs, separated
1 cup whole milk
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a small bowl, lightly whisk the egg yolks, then whisk in the milk and melted butter. Add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture and, using a wooden spoon, stir until well blended. the batter will be lumpy.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry, peaks form. Using a silicone spatula, fold about 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it, then fold in the rest just until no white streaks remain. Use the batter right away.

I don't remember how to season a cast iron pan. The instructions I got with it said to season it first, I remember that, but OH WELL, I jumped right in, unseasoned. It will be ok.

Butter your little pancake wells with a pastry brush and then when the butter starts to bubble (I did all this on medium-high heat), spoon batter into each well, about 2/3 full. I used two spoons, a tablespoon to pour and teaspoon to scrape. Remember what order you pour them in, because you're gonna want to turn them in that order, and you're gonna need to turn them fast.

Y'all, it's weird work. First of all, you need "turning tools." The Target pan comes with some (basically shitty, thin wooden kabobs) but you can buy a pair of nice maple ones at the ol' WS for only 12.95. Eventually I'll have to, because the ones I have are pretty much useless after one use, and it only comes with a few.

Anyway, I timed them to about 2 1/2 - 3 minutes before they needed to be turned. They do form the little bubbles like regular pancakes do, but they also get brown a lot faster after the bubbles start. You kind of have to feel it out. Turning them is HARD. Don't freak out though. When you flip them over, you'll lose half of your batter and they will look cock-eyed, but they turn out fine, I promise. Everything that you think you lose will adhere to the cooked top and you'll get a pancake puff!

I sprinkled them with powdered sugar, covered them with some cane syrup, threw some sausages on the side, and it was awesome! I can't wait to try them filled with something.

You know who like these? CHILDREN. I know they would because my husband enjoyed them - what manchild wouldn't love a pancake he can shove in his mouth whole?

MAYBE YOU WOULD LIKE THIS FOR CHRISTMAS. WHO KNOWS.