Abelskievers. Yep, I spelled that right.

Spherical. Delicious. A little tricky to make (and to spell). Ladies and gentlemen, I give you ... abelskievers! (imagine oohs and aahs)
It's LDS General Conference weekend, and at our house that means D cooks abelskievers. I was introduced to this culinary delight shortly after I married my sweet husband. It's a Christmas morning tradition in his home, and now in ours too, but once a year just isn't enough so we've added them twice more--Sunday morning during April and October Conference.

Abelskievers are a Danish dish--D's ancestors and mine are both Danish, so it seems a fitting way to remember our ancestry. On occasion, we've shared our tradition with friends and family. Today we were lucky enough to have Mark and Elisabeth, D's brother and wife, hanging out with us. D insists that the "proper" way to eat them is to put a little butter on top (do not break it open) and then to dip them in powdered sugar. I was surprised to learn that his brother had a different method. He likes to open it a tiny bit and stuff his filling inside. I just break them open, much to my husband's dismay (I like to see him shake his head in disgust). I also like lemon juice with butter and sugar, or alternatively nutella. If you'd ever like to make these breakfast treats, here is a bit of instruction:

You have to find a special pan, which can be quite elusive. I had the best luck on amazon.com, though Williams Sonoma sometimes has them around the holidays. You also need a wood skewer for turning them, though today we had trouble finding ours and found that a tiny saw from our pumpkin carving kit was functional. (How's that for innovative?) Other than that equipment, you'll need the recipe (below) and the ingredients. If you ever give it a try, let me know what you think.

2 1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp bkg soda
3/4 tsp bkg pwdr
2 1/2 c buttermilk
2 eggs, separated
3 Tb melted butter
1 Tb sugar
2 Tb lemon juice

1. Separate eggs and beat whites until very stiff. Set aside. 2. Mix sugar and egg yolks and beat until very white. 3. Add buttermilk, butter, and lemon juice to sugar and egg yolks. 4. Slowly add dry ingredients to liquid. 5. Fold in egg whites with spoon. 6. Grease pan. 7. Fill a little over full and turn 1/4 turns with a long wooden skewer until spheres are full. (It's a little tricky to get the heat on the pan just right. After some practice, you'll get it down.)