Easter Ensaymada

I wanted to try out the ensaymada moulds I bought from Tropical Hut.

They worked beautifully and were easier to clean than the ones I already had at home.

The  Super Soft Ensaymada Bread Roll recipe I used was recommended to me by a friend.

There were only three of us at home since MacGyver was in Manila so I decided to give some away.  MyGirl drove and we dropped off Easter ensaymada, instead of Easter eggs.

These were about 60g per piece.

I let them rise a couple of hours.

Fresh out of the oven.

 Yum!

The Only Apple Pie Recipe You Need

I had to see it to believe it.  I wanted to know if it was true.  Was Natasha Kravchuk telling the truth?  Was this really the only apple pie recipe I needed?   

I followed the recipe, and I must say, it was the most impressive apple pie I have ever baked.

I highly recommend natashaskitchen.com.  

Double Pie Crust Recipe

2 1/2 c flour

1/2 T sugar

1/2 t salt

1 c cold butter cut into cubes

7-8 T ice cold water

Combine flour, sugar and salt in a bowl.

Cut in butter.  Mixture should be dry and powdery.

Add 7 T of water.  If dough sticks together when a piece of dough is placed between your fingertips, then there is enough water. 

Do not add too much water or the dough will be too sticky and it will be difficult to work with. 

Do not expect the dough to be smooth.

Do not knead the dough.  Do not overwork the dough.

Divide dough in half and flatten to form 2 disks.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour before using.

Apple Pie Filling

4T butter

1 1/2 T flour

2 T water

1/4 c sugar

6-7 Granny Smith apples (2 1/4 lbs)  peeled, halved and cored 

1 1/2 t cinnamon

Melt butter in a saucepan.

Whisk in flour and cook for about a minute.

Add water and sugar.  Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and allow to simmer about 3 minutes, whisking constantly.

Slice the apples thinly to make about 7 cups.

Sprinkle with cinnamon. Toss to combine.

Pour caramel sauce over apples and mix gently to coat.

Preheat oven to 425F

Roll out bottom crust on a lightly floured surface to a 12" diameter circle.

Transfer to a 9" pie plate.

Add apple mixture, mounding slightly at the center.

Be careful not to get any filling on the edges so crust can seal properly.

Roll out second crust to 11" diameter circle and cut into 10 even slices.

The odd numbered slices would cross over the even numbered slices to form a lattice pattern, starting with the ones in the middle, working towards the edge.

Crimp the edges over and seal.

Brush top with egg wash made of an egg beaten with 1 T of water.

Bake at 425F for 15 minutes then reduce temperature to 350F and continue baking for another 45 minutes until the apples are soft and the filling is bubbling through the vents.

Let rest for 1 hour before serving. 

(Sugar alert  : Compared to the original recipe, I halved the caramel sauce recipe and further reduced the sugar but kept the number of apples.  I mistakenly made the eggwash with a tablespoon of sugar instead of a tablespoon of water.  No wonder the top crust was extra yummy.)

Is it a Biscuit or a Scone?

I don't want to get into an argument as to whether I made biscuits or scones.   Are American biscuits equivalent to the British scones?   I live in Australia, so let's call these scones.

This basic scone recipe came from the August Fresh magazine from Woolies which I had picked up after we dropped off our Return and Earn bottles last Saturday.    I did not use a rolling pin to make these though.  I just patted the dough down, made several folds, then cut out the shapes. 

I used a heart-shaped cookie cutter and a doughnut cutter.  Not one bit of the dough was wasted.   I used the middle of the doughnut cutter to make the small circles then formed the scraps into one sad looking biscuit (not in photo) that got baked in another tray.  

In hind-sight, I would have been able to make the ten scones as per the recipe yield but they still would not have all fit into this pan.

A typical British scone would have

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter
• 1 cup milk

.A typical American biscuit would have

• 250g plain flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cold butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable fat
• 230ml chilled buttermilk
• 50g butter, melted (optional)

This Woolies recipe I used had 2 c self-raising flour, 1 T sugar, 60 g butter, and 3/4 c milk.  I baked them for 12 minutes in  the toaster oven at 200C.  They came out quite nicely and they tasted pretty good.

The magazine had a couple of suggestions that I might try next time:

• Add 1/2 c blueberries and 1/4 c which chocolate chips before adding the milk 
• Add 2 T finely chopped chives and 1/4 c finely grated parmesan cheese to flour mixture 

It is a good base recipe.  Well done, Woolies!  

  

Testing Ensaymada Recipes

I had boiled some potatoes to make some ensyamada but at the last minute decided to try a simpler recipe last weekend.  Well, I thought it was going to be a simpler recipe, but in the end, I was kneading the dough for ages to get it to a half-decent point.

This one was meant to be Soft and Cheesy Ensaymada.   I must have done something wrong because although it was still soft, it was not fluffy.  The good news is that it was definitely yummy.  

After  manually kneading for over 45 minutes, I was just too tired to do the topping.  

MyGirl took over and did a wonderful job.

Whole Day Ensaymada

Last 21 March, my sister-in-law SI in Calgary posted a photo of their afternoon merienda (snack) in Facebook.  They were having hot chocolate and freshly baked ensaymada.  Impressive yet not surprising as SI comes up with such delectable baked goodies and desserts.

 

(Ensaymada is a Filipino-style brioche available in most bakeries.  The dough is shaped in a spiral form and the final product is usually topped with butter, sugar and cheese.) 

 

I still owed RD an ensaymada from July 2019.  We had bought some ensaymada from the nearby Goldilock's and RD was planning to bring his to have as a snack while waiting for our plane back to Sydney.  We were already on the way to the airport when we realized that we had forgotten to pack his ensaymada. I promised I would try to make some ensaymada for him to make up for it. 

 

When I saw the FB post the other week, I figured it was as good a time as any to try making soft and fluffy ensaymada.  I sent a message to SI and asked her for her recipe.  She promptly replied and I discovered the secret to fluffy ensaymada -- mashed potatoes! 

 

Fortunately, MacGyver had gotten a big bag of potatoes the other day so I had that ingredient covered.  However, the recipe also called for seven egg yolks.  Seven egg yolks meant seven eggs.  Seven eggs was equivalent to two breakfast. Given the situation, I could not in good conscience use seven eggs to make dessert if  we only had a dozen eggs at home.  This ensaymada had to wait.

 

On Thursday, we decided to use up some of the potatoes MacGyver had purchased and had  mashed potatoes with our chicken.  I asked MyGirl to choose one potato that would comply with the needed 75 grams of boiled potatoes for my ensaymada experiment and set it aside.  On Friday, I was fortunate enough to be able to get a big tray of 30 eggs.  I had to get eggs or else I could not make the ensaymada.   I still had some flour in the pantry and yeast in the freezer.  We don't usually have evaporated milk but I figured either regular milk or powdered milk would do.  I felt we were getting close to getting the ensaymada on the table.   I figured the only other things I needed would be sugar, salt, water, time, patience and determination.

I certainly had the determination.  I was not sure if I had the patience.   Thank goodness for the weekend, because prior to Saturday I didn't have the time to make ensaymada.  (I had been working from home the whole week because we were now on split operations.  Half the team works from home on week 1, the other half works from home on week 2.  Who knew WFH was so tiring?  I found myself working longer hours this week.  In fact, RD was our chef for most of the week because I was working through dinner and beyond.) 

Anyway, come Saturday, I see a message from SI asking if I was able to make the ensaymada yet.  (Pressure!)  I replied that I hadn't but her message strengthened my resolve to make a batch pronto. 

In her email she indicated that I was free to ask her questions.  Well as soon as I started, I took her up on her offer and pinged her several questions.  As I was going along, I had to ask her what time it was in Canada because I had a feeling this would not be "as easy as pie."  She said it was 6:15 PM Friday.  That translated to 11:15 AM Saturday in Sydney. 

By noon, I was in the mixing part but the dough looked like mush.  I sent her a photo and she said it looked fine.  I had NEVER worked with dough this sticky EVER!  (Maybe that is why my previous ensaymada experiments have never come up as soft and fluffy as the store-bought ones.)

I kept asking her more questions throughout the day. Will the dough be easy to handled after the first rise? What was the best place to knead the dough?  But more importantly, what time would she be sleeping?  (It was almost 8PM there by this time.)  When she said she'd be sleeping at midnight, I told her she was the best Help Desk ever!

As with other breads, the recipe required two sets of rising times.  One in the bowl after mixing all the ingredients and a second one in the baking molds after the dough had been formed.  It was almost 4PM when I managed to get the all the dough formed.  We were getting closer to the end but these still needed to rise.

 

At 4:50 PM, SI sent me a message that she was signing off.  She had reached her end of day and it was almost midnight in Calgary.

So close and yet so far ...  my dough had risen but I still needed to pre-heat the oven and start baking.

 

I kept sending SI updates even if I knew she was already asleep.  I took pictures to send to her as soon as they came out of the oven.  It was after 6PM by this time.  

 

We transferred them to a rack and MyGirl topped them with melted butter and sugar.  

 

They were certainly worth the wait.  It was 8 months for RD, one whole day for the rest of us.  

Yummy!  They were DELICIOUS!!!  

(I could not have done it without SI's guidance.  Seriously the BEST HELP DESK ever.  Thanks, SI!)





 

Fee, Fie, Faux Pho

I wanted to try to make pho for MyGirl and found a pressure cooker recipe for Pho Ga (Chicken Pho).  It was simple enough to follow and it was done in a jiffy.   

When I called eating time, I mentioned to MyGirl that I had given GI the soup bowl set so we had to settle for the bowls we had at home.   The regular Corelle bowls we have seemed a tad small for pho so I jokingly pulled out a glass mixing bowl for RD to use.  The joke was on me because he happily accepted and used the bowl for dinner.  MyGirl got a smaller Pyrex container but was still looking for decent soup bowls and soup spoons so she asked for permission to retrieve the soup bowls from her brother.

MyGirl was excited when the pressure cooker was opened to reveal our dinner.  However, upon tasting it, she admitted that although the pho was good, the pressure cooker version falls short of the restaurant quality pho that simmers for about eight hours.

She was pretty satisfied by my pho efforts even if she christened our dinner 'faux pho.'    

Pressure Cooker Pho Ga

 BROTH

1 1/2 k chicken thigh / drumstick (or 2 k whole chicken)2 medium onions, peeled and halved1 T ginger, cut into long strips1 small bunch fresh cilantro1 garlic clove, crushed1 T brown sugar4 cloves1/2 cinnamon stick1 star anise (or 1 T coriander seeds)8 c cold water2 T fish sauce1/2 t salt2 T vegetable oil

NOODLESmedium banh pho (70g - 80g per person) 

GARNISHES ON NOODLES1/2 small white onion, thinly slicedfresh cilantro leaves1 -2 stalks green onion, finely choppedfreshly ground black pepperhard boiled quail eggs, optional 

PHO HERBS PLATTER ON THE SIDEbean sprouts (40 g per person)
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges
mint, thai chili pepper, thai basil, hoisin sauce, sriracha (optional 

Place cloves, cinnamon stick and star anise (or coriander seeds) in the pressure cooker.
Heat up pressure cooker over medium heat [instapot : SAUTE]
After about 2 minutes, when the fragrance is released from the spices, remove spices and set aside.

With pressure cooker over medium heat [instapot : HOT], place 2 T vegetable oil and coat bottom of the pot.

Carefully place halved onions (flat side down) and the ginger into the pressure cooker.

Allow onions and ginger to char without touching them (about 5 mins). 

At the four minute mark, add the crushed garlic.

Pour in 1/2 cup of water to fully deglaze the bottom of the pot with  a wooden spoon.

Add the toasted spices, sugar, cilantro, fish sauce and salt.

Place chicken in the pot.

Add rest of the water making sure that the chicken is 90% submerged into the liquid.

Close the lid and pressure cook at high pressure for 10 minutes, then natural pressure release for 20 minutes.  After 20 minutes, turn knob to VENTING position to release remaining pressure.

While chicken is cooking, prepare the garnish.

Thinly slice 1/2 white onion and place in a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes..

Chop the cilantro leaves and slice the green onions.

When the pressure cooker starts natural releasing, place the noodles in a large mixing bowl and pour boiling water to fully submerge for 18-20 minutes.  Stir and loosen.  Drain and run through cold water when noodles are cooked through.

Transfer chicken to a large mixing bowl.  Slice into serving pieces or debone, as desired. 

Strain the chicken broth through a fine mesh and skim off the fat from the surface of the broth.

Bring the chicken broth back to a boil over medium heat [instapot : SAUTE]

Season as needed.

To serve, place cooked banh pho and chicken pieces into large bowl.

Garnish with white onion slices, chopped green onion, fresh cilantro leaves, quail eggs (opt) and freshly ground black pepper.

Pour in boiling chicken broth and serve piping hot.

The herbs platter serves as optional additions to add complexity to the soup.

Mini Bundt Cakes

These were great cakes.

How I wish I could remember what recipe I used.

It's a Date!

I introduced RD to this Korean chicken joint.  

He and I went there for dinner on the first Friday of May. 

We met up after office hours before he went off to watch a concert.

It's a Korean place so guess who was in our water bottle?

Song Joong-ki who I recognise from Running Man.  

We could have easily finished off two half orders of chicken.

But I decided to bring some pieces home for MyGirl to taste.

Ravioli Ravioli, Give Me the Formuoli

On Saturdays, I usually ask the kids what meals they want for the week. Usually RD asks for carbonara, lechon kawali, or pot stickers. One particular weekend, he asked for ravioli. I used his ravioli cravings to my advantage by getting him to make them.

He did all the hard parts. He prepared the pasta dough, rolled it out, filled and shaped the ravioli. The only thing I did was mix up the filling and cook the ravioli.

We used this ravioli recipe but I missed the part that said, "makes 48" so the first half of the dough made 12 pieces instead of 24. This meant we had some extra thick ravioli and  some extra filling when we were done.

Needless to say, we had one satisfied diner that evening.

Limited Edition TimTam

TimTams are always a nice treat.

They are not the healthiest things, of course, 

but they are still yummy.

Arnott's likes coming up with new TimTam flavours.

For this year, they partnered up with Gelato Messina

and came up with ice cream flavoured TimTams.

Coconut & Lychee, Salted Caramel & Vanilla,

Choc Mint, and Black Forest 

Chapel Windows

During our Christmas party, someone brought her test run of Cathedral Windows.  By New Year's Even, she had perfected it and it was part of our dessert spread.  

Check them out at the top left corner of this picture.

I asked her for the recipe and she promptly sent over her handwritten recipe.

Over the next few days, I purchased some flavoured gelatin, cream and condensed milk.

When I was about to make the Cathedral Windows, I remembered that our dear piano teacher had given us her Cathedral Window recipe a long time ago and I had not tried that one yet.  I also checked online for popular Cathedral Window recipes to compare how different people prepared this calorific dessert.  (Top ingredient of the flavoured jello is sugar and the recipes call for at least two packs.)

Anyway, I decided to do a trial run on using the generic brand gelatin on my archived recipe since it did not require condensed milk.  My thought process was that this recipe might translate to slightly less calories.  Besides, I figured if I followed the recently acquired (and recently tasted) recipe using the branded jello, I might have a higher probability of success replicating the New Year's Eve dessert.

The archived recipe essentially had our almond jelly recipe  serving as the binder (but it uses 1 can of evaporated milk for every packet of unflavoured gelatin).   I decided to work with that in mind, and used the strawberry (red) and the lime (green) Coles brand gelatin.  I had only used 2 boxes of flavoured gelatin so part of the binder ended up in another container as unadulterated almond jelly.  As usual, I was mixing and matching recipes so I ended up with jiggly jello.  

I had prepared the strawberry gelatin first and used 500 ml (2 c) of water then decided to reduce the amount of water (based on the packet instructions) when I mixed up the lime gelatin making it more firm.

The green gelatin sank to the bottom while the red gelatin floated towards the surface.  

I don't have enough experience with jello to know how much water to add to a particular brand of gelatin in order to get the desired firmness.  Of course that didn't matter much because the finished product was devoured all the same.  

When I asked MyGirl if this was the Cathedral Window recipe we would place in Kidbites (our compilation of recipes), she gave me a resounding NO.   So I am dubbing this recipe Chapel Windows, since it has not quite made it to the Cathedral Window ranks.  

Chapel Windows 
(used the 12 c bundt pan)

Coloured Gelatin (window) : 

    3 different colours (flavours) of gelatin

Cream Jelly (Binder) : 
    3 cups boiling water
    2 T  unflavoured gelatin
    1/2 c sugar
    3/4 c milk
    1/2 T almond extract

1. Prepare the flavoured gelatin 
• in separate square or rectangular containers, dissolve packet in 1 c boiling water 
• add 3/4 c tap water and mix to combine
• refrigerate until firm
2. Prepare the binder when the flavoured gelatin is already set
• in a saucepan, dissolve 2 T unflavoured gelatin in 3 c boiling water
• bring to a boil
• add 1/2 c sugar and 3/4 c milk 
• mix well until sugar dissolves
• add almond extract
• remove from heat and allow to cool slightly
3. Assemble dessert  
• cut flavoured gelatin into smaller pieces
• when binder has cooled down, place flavoured gelatin in preferred jelly mold
• add cooled binder 
• refrigerate until set 
4.  To serve, turn jelly dessert onto serving container

In case you are interested in the original recipe, here it is.  I believe makes a small rectangular pyrex.

CATHEDRAL WINDOW

1 box jello (any flavor desired) 
1 small box Knox unflavored gelatin of 4 envelopes
1 can of evap milk
1 bottle (20 ml) almond extract

Procedure :
1.  Prepare Jello using 2 c water (dissolve in 1 1/4 c water, bring to a boil, add 3/4 c water)
2.  Refrigerate until it sets.

1.  Dissolve one envelope of Knox unflavored gelatin to one can evaporated milk (no water)
2.  Add 1 t almond extract for every can of milk
3.  Add 2 spoons of sugar or as desired
4. Boil until completely dissolved while stirring
5.  Remove from fire until it cools off
6.  Cut refrigerated jello into desired shapes.  Refrigerate again while cooling off the Knox mixture
7.  Once cooled off, pour Knox mixture into Jello mixture and refrigerate again until combo sets.
8.  Serve

Bake Your Cake and Eat It Too

For MyGirl's birthday, we made some sushi for dinner.

While I was preparing the sushi, MyGirl opted to bake a cake.

One of her friends had tagged her on this  birthday cake recipe  

She halved the recipe because we just can't take THAT many calories.

We had a two-layer cake (instead of three)

complete with chocolate frosting 

and the hundreds and thousands (sprinkles).

We left half the cake for MyGirl to share with her classmates.

We also got her some ice cream which she generously shared with her brothers.

Here is the birthday girl with her brothers.

Happy birthday, MyGirl!

Show My Love

Show my love with homemade siomai.

I never knew how easy it was to make dumpling wrapper from scratch.

2 cups flour + 1/2 t salt + 3/4 cups hot water

knead, rest, roll, cut and shape

These were made using a 3" round cutter

and we managed to make about 4 dozen.

MyGirl did most of the hard work for this batch.

After we made these, she shared a link on how to make soup dumplings.

That will be for another day.

Pipe Dreams

I confess.

I don't REALLY need a piping bag.

Heck, I don't really do cupcakes.

And I definitely don't do icing.

I'm more of a muffin or chiffon cake kind of girl.

In fact, when they had a cupcake sale for RSPCA at the office,

I didn't volunteer because I knew I couldn't come up with 

cupcakes (with frosting) that people wanted.

However, I've seen MyGirl's eyes light up 

at the thought of making macarons, meringue,

and cupcakes complete with icing

which typically use piping bags to make.

We've used plastic bags or the Tupperware ball I purchased at Vinnie's,

but we've always struggled to get the batter or the icing out.

Then I saw this at Myer's the other day,

I felt it was a perfect addition to our kitchen.

(I admit, I could not resist. I'm hoping to use it for eclairs.) 

(And yes, I can go crazy with kitchen gadgets at times.)

When I showed my new purchase to MyGirl

I imagine her mind went through the many things she would do with it.

True to form, when she realised the birthday of one of her friends was coming up,

she asked if she could bake something to bring to school.

She decided on white chocolate cupcakes with the matching frosting.

The recipe was supposed to make a dozen cupcakes

but MyGirl managed to make two.

She put frosting on the dozen she was bringing to school 

and finished off the icing on six of the extra ones for the house.

Aren't they so pretty?

I'm glad I decided to buy the bag 

even if I'm not sure my hips will be.

Just a Fraction

We had a Christmas in July celebration at the office last Thursday.

People were asked to bring a plate to share.

I brought home two chocolate cookies which I placed on the table after dinner.

RD was ready for dessert but seeing only two cookies 

(and knowing that two is not a factor of five),

he asked. "How many pieces should divide the cookies into?"

We would typically divide goodies into five so that everyone can have a taste.

When MacGyver said he didn't want any, I asked RD to divide them into four.

RD got up to get a glass of milk, all set to have half a cookie.

Then MyGirl said she just wanted a fraction.

 And I changed my mind and announced that I also just wanted a fraction.

 RD joined in and declared, 

"One over one is also a fraction."

Smart cookie.  He got his fraction.

Donut Mix and Match

I had brought out the doughnut maker this morning and was all set to sell it in Gumtree.  Then MacGyver came downstairs and asked if we were having doughnuts for breakfast.  I told him I was about to dispose of it because we hardly used it.  He said we hardly use it because I refused to have him buy the pre-made doughnut mix from the grocery. 

It's true.  I absolutely refuse to let him buy the mixes because I could get a whole kilo of flour at the same cost of that tiny single packet of cake mix.  

He said he'd make doughnuts if I prepared the mix, so I put the doughnut maker back in its place and set out to make a batch of mix.

I had the perfect container for my doughnut mix.  It was one of those nesting plastic Tupperware bowls.  We use the pink one for soup mix.  The blue one would be perfect for the doughnut mix.

After I had combined the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  I put a copy of the recipe on the lid.

I decided to make a matching label for the soup mix although we'd been using the soup mix for years without it having a label and instructions.

When I was done, I walked over to RD and showed him the containers and explained, "Soup mix.  Donut mix."  He laughed out loud.  It was only when I saw his reaction that I realised that there was a (big) possibility that the someone (probably one of the boys) would mix up the mixes if the containers were not labelled.

I decided to show them to MyGirl so that she'd be aware of the added homemade mix in the pantry. When she saw them she smiled and said, "Everyone knows that the pink container has soup."  After I explained the possibility of a mix-up as expressed in RD's laughter, she remarked, "It would be better if you just keep it away from them or don't let them make it without us around."

I have to admit, that was sound advice.

P.S.  After going through several websites looking for recipes, I am actually excited to make these doughnuts.  We have a small packet of sprinkles (hundreds and thousands) that we've had for several years.  Each time I'd brought the packet when we have ice cream to serve, I just ended up bringing the sprinkles home. I think this the perfect opportunity to use up the sprinkles. OK. maybe I am just looking for a good excuse to make the glaze.

DONUT RECIPE 

1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c   sugar
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t   salt
1/2  c butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
3/4 c   milk (or water) 

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl.Beat until thick, smooth and creamy.Use approximately 2 T /moldBake in doughnut makerBrush with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar when done.Or glaze when cool.  

 GLAZE

1 c icing sugar
2 t cocoa powder (optional)
1 t butter, softened
1 T hot water
1/2 t vanilla

Mix until smooth

'Round the World ... Literally

It's here!  It's finally here!

It only took almost two years to arrive but it certainly was worth the wait.

My aebelskiver pan is here!

I'd once written about it in my blogpost 'Round the World .  That was way back in July 2013 and I was talking about the round food items various countries have to offer.  Even back then I was keen on getting an aebelskiver pan.   

Little did I know that my aebelskiver pan would be a well seasoned traveler.  

In August 2013, I sent a message to Mindy asking her to scout around for an aebelskiver pan for me.  I even gave her a recipe I'd found:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

• 2 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom or ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg 
• 1 cup milk
• About 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Preparation

1. 1. In a bowl, mix flour with sugar, baking powder, cardamom, and salt. In a small bowl, beat egg to blend with milk and 2 tablespoons butter. Add liquids to dry ingredients and stir until evenly moistened.
2. 2. Place an aebleskiver pan over medium-low heat. When pan is hot enough to make a drop of water dance, brush pancake cups lightly with melted butter and fill each to slightly below the rim with batter.
3. 3. In about 1 1/2 minutes, thin crusts will form on bottoms of balls (centers will still be wet); pierce the crust with a slender wood skewer 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 10 to 12 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 (see notes). Repeat to cook remaining batter.

In September 2013, Mindy reported that she had found one that was within my USD25 budget in eBay.  It is a Griswold, no less.  

Here is a very nice example vintage Griswold No. 32 cast iron Ebelskiver or Abelskiver pan.  Marked 962 A on bottom edge.  Looking to date from the 1920's, pan is in excellent condition with seasoning mostly intact.  A few very minor pit spots in some cup bases.  Measures 13 3/4" long at handle, and 1 3/4" high.  A nice clean vintage Griswold Abelskiver or Munk pan, ready for your kitchen or collection!  Feel free to email me with any questions you may have.  Buyer only pays actual shipping cost with no handling charges.

I told her to hang on to the pan.  I would eventually visit her and pick up my pan, I said.

The pan stayed with her for over a year.   I had not given any indication of going to the States so she made arrangements for the pan to travel to reach Manila.  

She figured it seemed more likely for me to visit Father and Mother (and J and Z) rather than Mickey Mouse at Disney World or Shamu, the famous killer whale at SeaWorld Orlando.   She passed on the pan to Jersey Girl who went there for a short stay in 2014.  

In November 2014, Jersey Girl reported that the pan had reached the Asian continent in one piece.  It was with her in Taiwan.  The pan was making its way to Manila and once it got there, I just had to go home and pick it up.  

Jersey Girl brought it with her when she went home later that year.  So the pan was there but I was not.

Last December, I made plans to visit Manila so that I could be home for Father's 80th birthday.  Picking up the aebelskiver pan was secondary on the agenda.  It was so secondary that my initial flight arrangements did not really take into consideration to size and weight of the pan.  It was only when Mother showed me the pan (and the box it came in) during one of our Skype sessions leading up to my visit, that I realised I would need extra luggage space if I wanted to bring the pan back with me during that trip.

All's well that ends well.  I bought extra luggage space for my trip.  I got to go home for Father's birthday last May.  Several other siblings also went home so majority of us were there to celebrate.   I got to be with family and friends.  Needless to say I ate a lot and didn't get to exercise.  But I had sufficient luggage allowance to bring back my well-traveled aebelskiver pan.

Today being my first Saturday back, I declared it my Aebelskiver Pan Testing day.

We started out with the recipe similar to the above which made a total of 14 aebelskivers.

We decided to test a second recipe because they were selling like hot cakes (or should I say 'selling like danish pancakes'?).    This one had more eggs and milk so we were hoping to make a bigger batch..

3 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
1 1⁄2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon cardamom or 1⁄4 teaspoon cinnamon or 1⁄4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons melted butter

DIRECTIONS
Beat egg whites until stiff; set aside.
Beat egg yolks and buttermilk together.
Sift dry ingredients together and add to liquid mixture.
Add the melted butter and mix together until smooth.
Fold in beaten egg whites.
Fill pan cups about 1/4 full of oil and heat.
Fill pan cups with batter. 
If you are adding jam, jelly, or applesauce to the middle add it now, only about a 1/4 teaspoons
Bake until the edges are bubbly.

Turn (using a fork, knitting needle, or toothpick) and continue turning until evenly browned and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

We don't have buttermilk so we just added 2 t vinegar to the milk.  We opted to put some pieces of apple in two batches, nutella in the third, and leave the last batch plain.  So all in all we made almost 30 aebelskivers with this recipe.   We managed to make a decent number of aebelskivers that were perfectly spherical.  They were really pretty.  The apple and nutella versions were the best.

Next up ... takoyaki!