It’s the weekend. Which means we usually make a bigger effort with breakfast. And we take a little extra time to start the days. Not that we get to sleep in, mind you. Sleeping is not something my son has grasped the desire for…yet. I’m still hanging onto hope though. Daily. But nonetheless, we sip our coffee slower, hang out in our pj’s a bit longer and take the time  to cook something a little extra special.

My son has an affinity for vafler and pannekaker (norwegian waffles and pancakes), among other things. And this morning it was his turn to pick breakfast. He also loves blueberries. Therefore, it was only natural he would request blueberry pancakes. Luckily for us, our freezer is full of frozen wild blueberries we picked in the summer. Oh, and it just so happened to be snowing the day before, so he also requested to go sledding outside.

Then it hit us. Why not have breakfast outside. It can cook while we sled, and when it’s ready we can sit on a makeshift bench of snow and fill our bellies while sipping hot cocoa. And hey, let’s make it even easier by cooking one large pancake so no one has to sit there flipping individual pancakes while the others go zooming merrily down the hill.

With sleds and batter in tow, we set up the grill and started the fire. And so began, the one-pan pancake. I should point out that in Norway, pancakes are more similar to a crêpe. And this particular pancake/pannekaker is just slightly thicker than normal, enough to embrace the wild blueberries. And when all is said and done, eating your pancake outdoors by the warmth of a fire in the winter really does make breakfast that much more special.

Wild Blueberry & Almond One-Pan Pancake (Blåbær og Mandel Pannekaker)

Ingredients:

(Makes about 6 servings)

• 6 eggs
• 1 litre milk (just over 4 cups)
• 300g flour
• 2 Tb sugar
• pinch of salt
• 200g whole almonds (blanched or with skins if you prefer it more rustic)
• 55 g sugar (1/4 cup)
• 1/2 Tb water
• 2 cups wild blueberries (frozen or fresh)
• 3 Tb butter
• Topping: powdered sugar

Whisk eggs together in a large bowl. Add in half of the milk, all of the flour, sugar and salt. Continue to whisk until blended, then add the rest of the milk. Put aside.

In a food processor, generously pulse the almonds, sugar and water until it resembles a very fine paste. Put in a transferable container.

Now the fun part. Pack up your pancake batter & almond paste & blueberries. Set up your outdoor cooking area and when the coals/wood are hot & ready (please ensure you take all safety measure when cooking outdoors with fire), place your pan over them on a rack – not too close to the fire or the pan will be get too hot and burn the bottom of the pancake. I used a 47cm (18 1/2in) pan in diameter.

Place the butter in the pan and once it is melted, pour your batter around the pan evenly and fast. Sprinkle the almond paste over the batter and top with the wild blueberries. It is extremely important to maintain an even temperature under the whole pan and as mentioned before, do not set it to close to the fire. It will get too hot too fast and you risk burning the pancake as well as undercooking it. 

Let the pancake cook slowly for 20-30 minutes, checking regularly to ensure even cooking. No need to mix, flip or anything.

When the pancake is finished, cut or tear it into servings and dust the top with a generous layer of powered sugar.

*Serve some yummy cardamom hot chocolate while everyone’s waiting