Good eats Thursday- Ebelskivers, a Swedish Favorite
without a ‘true’ set for years, making do with a cast iron skillet that is a similar form and function. Of course, my delight was short-lived. In the text it gives credit to “The Danish Tradition” (Denmark?? Land of cheese and clogs? come on–they could at least have gone Holland), adding insult to injury by coupling the pan with a mix from Stonewall Kitchen and Wild Blueberry Jame from Maine. Maine? WTF? Could they have least have gone northwest, and put something edible in the gift set, like Marionberry from Washington or at least Chokecherry from Canada?
This is forcing me to digress on a minor culinary pet peeve. Why is it that all things gourmet food-stuff seems like it must have a “from Maine,” tag, title or reference, like it’s the manna from heaven coming down to us foodies. I get the whole Maine lobster thing, sure. It’s like northwest Salmon, Wisconsin cheese, Idaho potatoes, Vermont Maple Syrup, Texas bbque and southern grits (although writing that sentence gave me hives, especially the grits part, but whatever). But Maine blueberry jam put me over my morning, no-caffeine, non non-bro self, as if that state has the corner on blueberries. As far as I know (and that’s not a lot, but go with me, it’s early yet), Vermont maple syrup is the real deal, found only in and around Vermont. Never heard of a Kentucky Maple Syrup, although we have lots of maple tree varietals in Washington, but none must have that special marketing power to give rise to entire industry.
Now that I’m on the subject, I’ll have to stop what I’m doing and go check this out. It could be a new career. Instead of cutting down trees with wanton diseregard (for to ‘us’ Washingtonians, Maples are considered a weed), I’ll strike up a one-woman industry around Maple syrup, draining trees dry like a leech on a leg in my Grandmother’s lazy river (after I’ve stepped in a rabbit-size pound of cow-dung).
In the meantime, I’m going to go make some Ebelskivers, sans blueberry jam.