Swedish Breakfast on America's Independence Day

Happy 4th of July! I've had this past week off so I have been busy with meetings, doctors appointments, and experimenting in the kitchen. Yesterday, JC and I tried our hand at fermentation. For my birthday, JC got me The Art of Fermentation and Jennifer got me Wild Fermentiaton both by Sandor Ellix Katz. I've been wanting to try fermenting for a while and I finally found some inexpensive bail-top glass jars at TJ Maxx yesterday. We decided to start with some dill cucumber pickles and sauerkraut. We've filled the jars, locked the lids, and now it's time to wait. In just a couple weeks we'll have delicious (and nutritious) fermented treats.

This morning I wanted to try making some swedish oat pancakes. I was inspired by the pancakes at La Bellavia restaurant in Flagstaff. They are these giant, dense, oaty pancakes topped with cinnamon apples. I decided to try to make them a little smaller, more buttery/savory, and lighter. I found a recipe on Bon Appetit and these turned out absolutely amazing! JC thinks they are even better than the ones in Flagstaff. These have a rich buttery flavor, just slightly sweet, and not too heavy or dense. These taste wonderful just as is but would be just delightful with a dollop of jam or preserves. They are so easy to make with very simple ingredients.

To top off my Swedish breakfast, I made some crispy bread topped with smoked herring. I would have like to used smoked trout, but this was all we had at home. JC and I have been eating lots of canned fish recently--anchovies, sardines, herring, trout. I topped some toasted bread with cream cheese, sliced cucumbers, and a few pieces of fish. What a delicious fresh snack.

These swedish oat pancakes and smoked fish on bread are the perfect brunch item. Enjoy!

Swedish Oat Pancakes
from Bon Appetit

• 2 c. old-fashioned oats
• 1/2 c. all purpose flour
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 1/2 c. buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Preserves or fresh berries (optional)

1. Combine the oats, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. 
2. Whisk buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla in a medium bowl. Add to dry ingredients; whisk until blended but some small lumps still remain. 
3. Let batter stand to thicken, about 2 hours in the refrigerator. (Can be prepared up to one day ahead. Cover batter and refrigerate.)
4. Cook pancakes on greased skillet (I used the griddle side of my Griddler). Ladle batter by 1/4 cupfuls into skillet. Cook pancakes until bottoms are golden brown and bubbles form on top. Turn pancakes over and cook until bottoms are golden brown.
5. Optional: serve with preserves or fresh berries