Post by Alison Hein.

My good friends Rosie and Jeff come through again! Rosie is the idea person behind our International Breakfast theme (remember Personal Shakshouka?) and Jeff is the talented cook who recently created a Proper English Fry-Up. What now, you ask? Well, Rosie gifted me with a new aebelskiver pan – the non-stick kind which makes flipping the little pancakes a breeze. Better yet, she gave me a breakfast cookbook which included savory aebelskivers! Goat cheese and herbs, jalapeño and cheddar, potato and bacon…

I decided upon a duxelles filling (sautéed shallots and mushrooms) for my aebelskivers. What a delight to bite into a tiny filled pancake and be surprised by the deep, earthy flavor of buttery button mushrooms. Served with a dab of sour cream on the side, Savory Mushroom Aebelskivers are a pleasant change from sweeter fare, and a delightfully different breakfast in bed.

And Jeff? He presented me with a recipe book filled with international breakfast recipes and a promise to cook for us again. This time – Jeff’s Costa Rican Tico Breakfast – coming soon to a kitchen near you! Stay tuned…

Ingredients

Mushroom Filling

2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped
1 tablespoon cream
1 teaspoon dried parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste

Aebelskiver
1 cup unbleached flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 eggs, separated
Cooking spray (or melted butter)

Special Equipment
Aebelskiver pan

Preparation

To make mushroom filling, melt butter in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until softened. Add mushrooms and continue to cook another 5 to 7 minutes, until mixture is cooked through. Remove from heat. Stir in cream, parsley, salt and pepper and set aside until ready to use.

To make aebelskiver, combine flour, baking powder and salt in large bowl. In separate small bowl, mix together milk, cider vinegar and egg yolks. Gradually add liquid mixture to dry mixture, stirring constantly, until batter is smooth. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into batter.

Place aebelskiver pan on burner over medium heat. Spray each well of the pan liberally with cooking spray (or brush with melted butter). Spoon about 1½ teaspoons of batter into each well. Then place about ½ teaspoon of mushroom filling in the center of each aebelskiver. Finally, pour another 1½ teaspoons of batter on top, being sure to entirely cover filling.

Cook for about 2 minutes, until bottom of aebelskiver is dark golden brown. Carefully flip using two skewers, a knife and spoon, knitting needles (as is common in Denmark), or chopsticks. Continue cooking until flipped side is also golden brown, another one to two minutes. Remove from pan and keep warm while making the remainder of pancakes. Adjust heat and regrease pan as necessary while cooking. Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream if you like.

Makes 20 to 30 aebelskiver.