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Wooden Spoon

By Elaine Revelle

I won't say how long I've know Esther Jacobsen Bates, but I will tell you that during that time I've watched her go from the kid down the street to reliable baby-sitter and on to able director of Solvang's Elverhoj Museum and it's been fun being on had to witness the progression.
Esther is a Valley girl “to be shurr.” A life long resident, a full blooded Dane, a devoted wife and mom and dedicated to her job as executive director of the Elverhøj Museum of History and Art, she’s busy and happy.

  Esther is a Valley girl “to be shurr.” A life long resident, a full blooded Dane, a devoted wife and mom and dedicated to her job as executive director of the Elverhøj Museum of History and Art, she’s busy and happy.
  Do you get the picture? I like Esther and I like her family. Esther’s parents, Liz and Knud Jacobsen, were neighbors of mine for over 30 years. I was on hand to see the Jacobsen family “kids” (Esther, Mary & Glen) grow up, make their way into the big wide world and start their own families.
  “I attended Solvang School,” Esther said, “and graduated from Santa Ynez Valley Union High School before attending Santa Barbara City College.
  “And,” she added, “I never dreamed I would have the job I do today.”
Esther says that she loves her work and enjoys being involved with the preservation of Solvang’s Danish heritage.

  “I just returned from a trip with my daughter Kristen. We spent two weeks in Denmark, visiting family,” she added. Esther’s mom Liz was born to Danish immigrants in Iowa, her family moved to the Valley during her senior year and she also graduated from Santa Ynez High School.
Knud, on the other hand, hails from the small island of Aaro, just off the western coast of Denmark. “It’s near Jutland,” Esther explained, “that’s where Kristen and I went. We had a good time with the family, my dad’s side,” she said, “they were good hosts, fed us well and didn’t seem to mind my tortured Danish.”
  Knud came to Solvang in 1952 to work in his uncle Martin Jacobsen’s dairy. “It was on The Flats‚” Esther explained, then added, “You know where that is, don’t you?”
  I do indeed. I guess you can be considered an old-timer if you think of the stretch between Solvang and Buellton as The Flats.
  I was aware that Esther’s husband Mark is also a “Valley product,” and after asking how they met, found out that there were sparks right from the first. “I knew Mark’s family,”she said, “but didn’t know Mark. He was four years ahead of me in school, so I never ran into him there.”
  Oh, by the way Esther wasn’t kidding, the sparks really flew when they met, literally. “It was 1976 and we were both watching Solvang’s July Fourth bicentennial parade. Mark’s brother Jeff threw a firecracker towards me, I jumped and ran right into Mark.” Well, that was all it took, one firecracker ignited a spark that resulted in their being married the following July. “July is an important month for us,” Esther added, “Kristen was born the following July and our son Jacob was born six years later, also in July.”
  The combined Jacobsen/Bates clan is close knit. Esther’s brother and sister both make their home in the Valley. Most of Mark’s family is local too. “Two of his brother’s (Jeff and Dean) live here,” Esther noted. “Sister Amy is in Los Alamos, mom Lise has moved to Paso Robles and brother Clint in Texas is the farthest afield.”

  Combined nieces and nephews add another 15 to the family head count. “This year,” Esther proudly pointed out, “Mark’s brother Glen’s oldest daughter Lauren is the Danish Maid.”
  Between Esther’s duties at Elverhøj, Mark’s thriving business (Bates Concrete Construction), Kristen’s job as activities director for the new Solvang timeshares and Jacob’s college schedule, the Bates household sounds like a busy one.
  Esther did say that she and Mark both enjoy music, art and good wine. “We go to a lot of concerts, attend openings for visual and performing arts and, of course, take in a few wine tastings.” Esther also likes to garden–she calls it “therapeutic.”
  Both Esther and Mark like to cook. “We eat a lot of seafood, vegetables, fruits,” she said. Mark has been a regular participant in the annual Real Men Cook event and agreed to share one of his prized recipes. Esther, on the other hand, readily complied when I asked for a family Danish recipe. “I really don’t fix many Danish dishes,” she confessed, “but I do make my mom’s æbleskiver. But they’re different from the ones served during Danish Days–these go a little flat.”
  I have to admit, I’ve noticed that myself. Danish Days breakfast æbleskiver stay round and firm for hours.
  I know what she means. I think of my efforts in sports form. They start off as baseballs, then morph into footballs and end up looking more like hockey pucks.
  So make ’em fresh, and eat ’em quick.

MOM'S AEBLESKIVER

3 eggs, separated
1-1/2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1-1/2 cups flour

Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and set aside. Beat egg yolks with milk. Fold in dry ingredients. Fold in beaten egg whites.

TO BAKE: preheat æbleskiver pan and fill cups with about 1/2 teaspoon oil. Add batter to 2/3 to 3/4 full. Cook until dough begins to bubble on top and then gently start lifting and turning until a ball is formed.
“This can be a little tricky,” Esther says, “but I find a knitting needle or wooden kabob skewer makes the turning easier. Continue rolling æbleskiver in cups until evenly browned and cooked through. Serve immediately dusted with powder sugar, jam or your favorite topping.”

GRILLED SPICY SHRIMP

1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1-1/2 pound medium shrimp,
peeled and deveined
lemon wedges

Mince the garlic with the salt. Scrape into glass bowl and mix in the cayenne and paprika, then make it into a paste with the olive oil and lemon juice. Add shrimp and mix until well coated. Cover and refrigerate one to two hours (up to eight hours) stirring occasionally.
Grill over medium hot fire, two to three minutes per side. Serve with fresh lemon wedges. Serves 10 to 12 as an appetizer or four to six as a main dish.