Puff and fluff two old treats

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, January 28, 2007

When you consider all the things most of us have to worry about nowadays, possibly even agonize over, life’s really too short to have to suffer from recipe deprivation. Happily, we can cure two cases of this malady today in one fell swoop.

For starters, Everett cook Eileen Rumelhart writes, “When I saw the pumpkin custard cake recipe, it reminded me of one of my long-lost ones. I’m 85, and my mother made it years ago.

“It had Grape-Nuts, lemons and, I think, eggs. Either it had boiling water in it or was baked in a casserole of water. If I remember right, the lemon mixture was on the bottom with a cakelike layer on the top.”

You sure do remember right, Eileen, and you’re talking about the following recipe for all-time favorite puff pudding, which was originally requested by Grace Wakefield and shared by both Betty Benty of Lynnwood and Shirley Davis of Snohomish in a Sept. 22, 1983, Forum column.

Next, Annette I. Conus asks for an aebleskiver recipe, telling us, “I just recently found the box with the pan inside but, alas, no recipe.” Aebleskivers are little round pancake-like pastries.

Now you have two, Annette, thanks to an April 4, 1998, Forum column, in which I. Berliu of Monroe shared a basic aebleskiver recipe and told us, “A single electric hotplate burner with a regulator works better than an electric stove burner. It concentrates the heat better.”

And Barbara Greenleaf of Everett supplied us with a nearly identical recipe for Danish ebleskiver. The directions for this variation follow the basic aebleskiver recipe.

All-time favorite puff pudding

1/4cup butter or margarine, softened

1/2cup sugar

1teaspoon grated lemon rind

2egg yolks

3tablespoons lemon juice

2tablespoons flour

1/4cup Grape-Nuts cereal

1cup milk

2egg whites, stiffly beaten

Cream or prepared whipped topping (optional)

Thoroughly cream butter with sugar and lemon rind; add egg yolks and beat until light and fluffy. Blend in lemon juice, flour, cereal and milk. Mixture will look curdled, but this will not affect the finished product. Fold in egg whites and pour into greased 1-quart baking dish; place dish in a pan of hot water. Bake at 325 degrees 1 hour and 15 minutes or until top springs back when lightly touched. When done, pudding has a cakelike layer on top, with custard below. Serve warm or cold with cream or whipped topping, if desired.

Aebleskiver

3eggs, separated

2cups buttermilk

2cups flour

2tablespoons sugar

1/2teaspoon salt

1teaspoon baking powder

1teaspoon baking soda

Butter (for cooking and serving) and sugar

In medium mixing bowl, beat egg yolks; add buttermilk. Stir in flour sifted with sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff; fold into sugar-flour mixture and set aside. Put 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon butter in each cup of aebleskiver pan; place over heat and melt; add enough batter to fill cups about 2/3 full and cook until top of dough bubbles. Using fork, carefully turn upside down and continue cooking or baking until done. Serve with butter and sugar.

For Danish ebleskiver: Prepare above recipe for aebleskiver; place small amount of butter, margarine or oil in each cup and fill 2/3 full of dough. Place a small teaspoonful of applesauce on top of dough, then barely cover sauce with a few drops of dough. Avoid spilling applesauce in cups, as this will cause the ebleskiver to stick. Cook until bubbly, turn carefully with fork, and finish baking on other side. Serve with butter and maple syrup, jam or brown sugar.

The next Forum will appear in Wednesday’s Food section.