Swedish flesh pancake. No humans were harmed during the making of this dish.
Originally uploaded by Manne.
Eggs and bacon, eggs and bacon, eggs and... Breakfasts when following a low carb diet can get a bit repetitive. Especially when the only bacon you can get on a poorly prepared Sunday morning is the dull watery type from the offie on the corner.
Thus I this morning decided to try a Swedish classic, even more classic than Flying Jacob (Flygande Jakob)! Fläskpannkaka, literally translated as "flesh pancake", typically served with lingonberry jam and grated carrot. May sound a bit like a zombie's brekkie, but all it is is a savoury pancake batter with bacon that you bake in the oven.
Sans lingonberries and carrots (my offie is not what you even at the widest stretch of your imagination would call a deli) I opted for blackberry jam instead, since it is less sweet than strawberry jam. The thing with the lingonberries is that they have a really nice and tart sourness to them which goes oh so well with the pancake and salty bacon.
I guess this is a bit like a frittata, a really simple no frills version focusing on filling you up and giving you a great start to the day. I make mine with a little bit less flour and an extra egg since I find that while it has to bake a bit longer, it gets lighter that way. Healthier for you too...
Ingredients (serves 4, or 2 greedy pigs)
2 dl flour
6 dl milk
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
200 gr bacon, chopped
Your favorite jam for serving
Sure, this isn't exactly low carb, but Sunday breakfasts are there to be revelled in. For a version that is better from a GI perspective, use spelt or whole wheat flour instead of refined white flour. Spelt has a slightly different nutrition composition, containing more protein and a gluten that behaves differently from "ordinary" wheat. Spelt also has a slightly nuttier flavour. You can buy spelt flour from Sharpham Park.
Method
Preheat your oven to 225 degrees Celsius.
Chop the bacon and fry to your preferred level of crisp. Pour it with fat and all into a baking dish (40x40 cm would do fine) and make sure the bottom and sides are greased up.
Put the flour and salt in a bowl, gently pour the milk in while whisking all the time to make sure the flour dissolves nicely in the milk. We don't want any lumps.
Add the eggs to the bowl and stir the mix together, no need to beat it, just make sure it is all blended nicely.
Pour the mixture over the bacon (I usually start pouring from the edges, so as not to push all the bacon out to the rim of the dish) and put the baking dish in the oven. Set time for 20 minutes.
Now, depending on the size of your baking dish (how deep the layer of batter is) the cooking time may vary quite widely. Once the 20 minutes have gone you might need to bake it for another 5 or 10 minutes. The flesh pancake is done when the batter has risen up like a souffle and has a golden brown colour on the top. Give the dish a gentle shake, you will see when the pancake has settled just right as the top will move as if you are shaking a dish full of jelly.
Take out of the oven and let it rest for a few minutes. The top will sink, which is what it should do. Flesh pancake is supposed to be a flat surface with the edges rising above the middle. Tastiest bits, in my opinion, are the browned edges where you get a bit of chewy resistance and a really savoury flavour that goes great with the jam.
Serve with a spoonful of jam. Swoon.
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