My great-grandmother and grandmother made aebleskiver often, and the tradition has been passed down to me. I don’t make these often—I tend to stick with the traditional aebleskiver recipe. The cherry ones are the best, but they take a little more time.

• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/3 cup plus 1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 cup dried cherries, chopped
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 3 egg yolks, lightly whisked
• 1 1/3 cups buttermilk
• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 5 egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks
• 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together orange juice and 1/3 cup sugar. Heat until the mixture is just beginning to boil. Add the cherries. Remove from heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a small saucepan, pressing on the cherries with the back of a spoon. Set aside the cherries.
2. Set the pan over medium heat and cook until the liquid is reduced to a syrup, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.
3. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, 1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar, salt, and lemon zest. In another bowl, whisk together egg yolks, buttermilk, and ricotta. Add the yolk mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until combined—the batter should be lumpy. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in egg whites.
4. Put 1/2 tsp. butter in the bottom of each cup in an aebleskiver pan. Place over medium heat and heat until the butter begins to bubble. Pour 1 Tbsp. batter into each cup, add 1 tsp. cherries in the center of the batter and top with 1 Tbs. batter. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Using a fork (or knitting needle, chopstick, or wooden skewer), flip the aebleskiver over and cook for 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and cherries.
5. Drizzle the pancakes with the orange-cherry syrup and serve immediately. Makes about 30.