This is not a cooking blog. But for today, humor me.

Friday October 10th is World Egg Day, and in honor of this, I will share with you one of my favorite egg recipes.

For the sake of completeness, I have posted a Flickr set of our adventures, plus have created little videos throughout the process. (Husband remarked “What’s with the multi-media extravaganza?”)

Usually folks only consider omelets, quiche, deviled eggs, and other very “eggy” tasting dishes to be made from eggs. But there are plenty of other dishes that have eggs as a major component. Egg sushi, for example, is super-yummy, and not necessarily what one considers first when thinking about egg dishes, especially if you up your wasabi factor.

Well as much as I love sushi, today I will make Norwegian pancakes.

Most people think of flour, and probably sugar, when they consider pancakes. But my favorite pancakes are primarily egg. Sure, the flour is there, as is milk, but the only sugar is whatever you put on top or inside, like syrup. And so, today I share with you my grandmother’s recipe for Norwegian Pancakes. This pancake is not quite a crepe, but is thin and versatile. Using a variety of fillings or toppings, this recipe can take on many forms.

First we had to go to the store because we realized we didn’t have enough milk:

The Cat told me he was happy to play video games instead of helping me and Splig cook the pancakes:

Before we made the actual pancakes, I prepared the fillings. One such filling/topping was (surprise!) eggs! I hard-boiled them to use later:

Our science-lesson break: how to tell the difference between the fresh-out-of-the-fridge eggs that I’d need for the pancakes proper versus the hardboiled eggs we’ll use as a filling?

Splig helped me slice the hard-boiled ones nice n’ purdy:

And then we were off to make the actual pancakes:

The three basic ingredients are eggs (6 of them!) milk (2 ¾ cups) and four (1 ½ cups.) Even these primary ingredients can be altered to taste, such as using gluten-free flour. Or you may want to use soy or rice milk to avoid casein. If you like chocolate, use chocolate milk. I wonder if using coconut milk would create a fun variation of this recipe, especially with chocolate chips as a filling?

The ingredients:

2 ¾ cups milk

Once the ingredients are all set, it is time to actually create the batter. The method is pretty simple: add the eggs and flour together, and then slowly pour the milk in the mix. Don’t stir too quickly or the batter will have too much air in it and won’t cook well. Certainly my grandma and those before her used a wooden spoon and a bowl for the mixing, but we use an electric mixer at its lowest speed. (Don’t forget to scrape the sides with a rubber spatula!)

Splig shows the process:

(Yes, I said “6 cups eggs” but really I meant “six eggs.”)

Once the batter is ready, fry up the pancakes! I use an electric frying pan set to a click under 350 degrees. Husband mocks me for my electric frying pan, but I’ve never been able to make Norwegian pancakes properly without it.

Set to a hair under 350 degrees, butter it up (yes, I use actual butter) and pour in the batter. As soon as the pancakes are solid enough to flip (they switch from shiny to matte,) flip ‘em. Less than a minute on the second side will do.

Here’s my how-to:

The next part is the creative part: either slap it on a plate or roll it up with or without fillings. Growing up I had my mom create a little roll with syrup inside. My kids love chocolate chips and marshmallows the best. I line up the toppings in a little line, and then roll the pancake around it. Of course it melts into a gooey yumminess. No syrup necessary for pancakes that are already filled with sugar!

The fillings need not be candy: fruit will do too, or more savory tastes like onion, peppers, or bacon. This pancake can act as a crepe or as an omelet. Ham, cream-cheese, and more eggs would be tasty. (I think the eggs as a garnish is great.) Add some caviar if you so desire. There are plenty of possibilities.

(Embarrassingly I say “sour cream” when I meant to say “cream cheese.” Indeed, sour cream would also be a great filling/topping, as would something like whipped cream, ricotta cheese, marzipan… whatever taste you are after.)

Here is the pictorial process involved in the green onion – cream cheese – egg variety:

- put the cooked pancake flat on a plate
- lay the toppings in a line
- fold over one side
- fold over the other side : now you have a roll!
- garnish if desired
- eat it up

And here is the finished product of the chocolate-chip-filled ones:

Do the kids like ‘em? Well sure:

But then Splig wanted to let me know that my version (onion, cream cheese, and extra eggs) wasn’t his cup of tea:

So there you have it. If anything, you’ve learned that Splig has a very unusual fashion sense and likes to be a complete goofball. You’ve also learned that Kari’s Kitchen is not ready for prime-time. But I also hope you can take my Norwegian Pancake recipe and modify it to your family’s tastes and needs. Happy World Egg Day (on the 10th!)

Thank you to the Egg Board and the Parent Bloggers Network for letting me know about this excellent holiday.