Wild Ginger

My mother's father was Swedish - his father from Uppsala and his mother from Lund - and some Swedish traditions survive in my family until today. My favorite (as well as my wife and kids') are Æbleskivers, those lovely little spherical pancakes so enjoyed by Swedes and Danes. You'll need an Æbleskiver pan, a cast iron skillet with little dome like pockets to cook the batter in. Should you not be able to find once easily at your local gourmet shop or via Amazon, try here.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups butter milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 whole eggs, separated
4 tablespoons sugar, divided
½ teaspoon cardamom
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder

2 TB of melted butter, combined with 2 TB of vegetable oil

PREPARATION

• Separate eggs. Beat egg whites until stiff. Set aside.
• In another bowl, beat egg yolks. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, salt, milk, flour, baking soda and baking powder. Mix well. Fold in egg whites.
• Preheat æbleskiner pan over medium-low heat.
• Brush the insides of the wells in the pan liberally with the oil and butter mixture (batter is sticky and you're essentially going to fry it anyway
• Fill each well about three-quarters full of batter
• Cook for 2 to 4 minutes, or until bottom of ball is nicely browned. Turn balls over and cook until browned. My mom swears that knitting needles are the traditional tool of choice for flipping but I find bamboo skewers or a pair of forks suit the purpose just fine.
• Keep balls warm, covered with a towel on a plate in the oven, about 200°F, until all the pancake balls are cooked. Serve 3 or 4 to a plate, drizzle with your favorit syrup (lingonberry is the traditional choice) or with a bit of powdered sugar.

If you're intimidated by the thought of getting the flipping technique down, try this video for a tutorial.

It is traditional to stick a bit of fruit inside of your aebleskivers. I small prune, a dried cherry or apples are common favorites (my daughter likes chocolate morsels). A good method is to cut a tart apple into small chunks, about sugar cube-size. Place the cubes in a plastic bag. Add 2 TB of sugar and ½ TSP of cardamom. Close top of bag and shake well to coat the apple pieces. Fill the wells with half full with batter and place an apple cube inside right after pouring the batter in.

Whatever you do, don't substitute plain milk for the buttermilk. You can leave out the cardamom, but then.... well, then they'd just be fried little batter balls, now wouldn't they?

Try these with your dinner or lunch where you might try a biscuit or dinner roll. Most of the liquid in this batter is beer, which adds both flavor and leavening. I'd recommend a medium colored, medium bodied beer such as an amber or ale. Start with the beer at room temperature so it doesn't shock the batter and prevent it from rising. The cheese is folded in gently at the end so it can be seen threading the tops of the muffins after they've baked. Beer makes everything better. Mmm....beer.

INGREDIENTS
Nonstick spray or paper muffin cups
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg, at room temperature
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1¼ cups beer, at room temperature
1¼ cups (about 5 ounces) shredded chedder cheese (I prefer extra sharp)

PREPARATION

• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. To prepare the muffin tins, spray the indentations and the rims around them with nonstick spray, or line the indentations with paper muffin cups. If using silicon muffin tins, spray as directed, then place them on a baking sheet.
• Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl until uniform. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk the egg, melted butter, and mustard until blended. Gently whisk in the beer until the foaming subsides, then add the cheese. Finally, stir in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon until moistened.
• Fill the prepared tins three-quarters full. Use additional greased tins or small, oven-safe, greased ramekins for any leftover batter, or reserve the batter for a second baking. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the muffins have lumpy brown tops and a toothpick inserted in the center of one muffin comes out almost clean.
• Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Gently tip each muffin to one side to make sure it's not stuck. If one is, gently rock it back and forth to release it. Remove the muffins from the pan and cool them for 5 minutes more on the rack before serving. If storing or freezing the muffins, cool them completely before sealing in an airtight container or in freezer-safe plastic bags. The muffins will stay fresh for up to 48 hours at room temperature or up to 2 months in the freezer.

EVERYONE loves cheesey garlic bread. This recipe gets snarfed up quickly, so consider doubling it for your needs.

INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp (1/4 stick) butter, room temperature
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 1/3 cups crumbled feta cheese
1 ¼ cups (about) grated Parmesan cheese, divided (about 4 ounces)
½ cup (packed) grated Monterey Jack cheese
½ cup finely chopped green onions
12 ¾-inch-thick slices french, sourdough, or ciabatta bread

PREPARATION

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 475°F.
• Mix first 3 ingredients in medium bowl. Mix in feta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, Jack cheese, and onions.
• Spread 2 tablespoons cheese mixture onto each bread slice. Top each with 1 tablespoon Parmesan; press to adhere.
• Place slices on baking sheet, sprinkling lightly with salt and pepper.
• Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 12 minutes