Start seeing aebleskiver!

I've got a piece on aebleskiver over at the StarTribune today. As always I'm excited to be one of the head cheerleaders for my favorite topic: Nordic food. Below is my absolute favorite recipe (which does not appear in the article). The BBQ Chicken Aebleskiver remind me of a cross between bao (Chinese steamed buns) and banh mi. Substitute leftover pork or ground turkey for the chicken.

BBQ Chicken-filled Æbleskiver 
Makes about 26 balls

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon. salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup plain Greek-style yogurt, whole-fat
Zest from 1 lime
¼ cup cilantro, minced
2 teaspoons jalapeno, minced
Butter for frying

In large bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In separate bowl stir together buttermilk, eggs, yogurt, and zest. Add wet ingredient to dry and whisk until combined. Add cilantro and jalapeno and set aside for 10 minutes.

For the filling:
2/3 cup cooked chicken, shredded
2 tablespoons each lingonberry preserves and sambel oelek (Thai chili paste)
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon butter

In small saucepan combine chicken, preserves, sambel, syrup, and butter. Bring to simmer over medium heat and stir to combine. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Heat aebleskiver pan over medium-high heat.

Add ¼ to ½ tsp. butter to each pancake well. Fill wells 2/3 full with batter. When cakes are golden brown on the bottom and centers begin to bubble, loosen top edges using fork, skewer, or chopstick. Use tool to gently pull each cake so that the outer shell is perpendicular to well and uncooked batter spreads into bottom of the well. Add 1 tsp. shredded chicken mixture to center of each cake. As bottom becomes golden, use tool to pull orb closed. Rotate cake to seal all edges, turning several times or until golden orb forms and inside of pancake is cooked thoroughly. Use tool to lift balls from pan. Serve with Quick-Pickled Slaw and any remaining chicken.

Quick-pickled Slaw 
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 cup water
½ cup sugar
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, roughly chopped
Grated zest from 1 lime
2 teaspoons sesame oil
4 cups assorted vegetables, cut into matchstick-sized pieces or sliced very thin (cabbage, daikon, carrot, cucumber, red pepper, onion)
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
1 to 2 jalapenos, sliced thin

Add vinegar, water, sugar, and ginger to a saucepan over high heat and bring to boil. Remove
from heat, add zest, and steep for about 30 minutes. Strain solids from liquid and pour over
vegetables. Chill. Add cilantro and jalapeno before serving.