Photo By: Jocelyn Hsu
The best part about college is getting excited about the new things we learn while making memorable new experiences with our friends. Phenomenal food is no exception to these experiences, and when my friend Ezra hosted a mellow potluck, I had the good fortune to meet local English professor and foodie Dabney Lyon, aka the Aebleskiver Goddess. Dabney’s heavenly Danish contribution to our bizarre array of dishes was her miniscule puffy pastries filled with lemon curd, kind of like miniature stuffed-pancakes. Although abelskivers look as if they would require the finesse of a seasoned pastry chef to create, anyone who possesses patience, an excellent aebleskiver recipe and a special pan can easily duplicate this orgasmic Danish delicacy.
Photo By: Jocelyn Hsu
As I soon discovered, aebleskivers have the potential to be every hungry student’s best friend simply because you can fill them with whatever food you have on hand. Aebleskivers are a lot like Berkeley in that it takes you ten times to spell it right, but whether your preference may be sweet or savory, pretty much everything goes here. Got blueberries? Stuff it. Nutella? Peanut butter and jelly? Fill them up. Cheese? Bacon? A Hebrew national hot dog? Mushrooms? Jalapeño? Pepperoni? The list goes on and on. This simple dish can and will transform just about any food you have into an adventurous and exotic experience, wherein you will be sure to gain three to five pounds, five to ten more dates and at least seven new friends.
My friends and I went all out with our combinations to fill our sweet aebleskivers: dark chocolate and raspberry preserves; dark chocolate and marmalade; even lemon curd with fresh whipped mascarpone topping, garnished with cocoa and powdered sugar. The way the preserves fill your mouth with a warm sweetness, followed by chocolate flooding your senses, is a heavenly experience. It’s a truly tender moment when the lemon curd (my favorite) melts in your mouth and mixes together with the thick mascarpone creme. I am convinced that there is no greater act of gourmet love than to share aebleskivers with others.
The next thing my friends and I knew, our heavenly, sweet combinations were complimented with the complex flavors of our savory ‘skivers. We sautéed some fresh jalapeños in butter, fried up some bacon, sliced little blocks of cheddar cheese to fill our polenta batter with and prepped some sour cream and local salsa to accompany them. Just a few will do, as these are rich and delicious.
Think less is more. Think patience is a virtue. Think of why we love to cook for ourselves and others. This is how we share our love. Thank you, Dabney, for sharing yours with all of us.
Are you ready to have your own aebleskivers experience? On your mark, get set, GO!
Aebleskevers By: Dabney Lyon