Puffed Pancake

Of all the regular dishes I make, this one is one of my husband's favorites. I think of it as a 'special' breakfast food, so I don't make it a lot. Usually it comes out for Christmas morning, or for when company comes to visit. This morning we shared it with good friends of ours who are visiting from Ontario.
This was one of my favorite breakfasts when I was a kid. My mom had found it in the Vancouver Canuck's Cookbook (circa 1982 or '83). She topped hers with strawberries and whipped cream, and we knew it simply as Strawberry Puffed Pancake. I've made a few variations over the years, so I simply title it as Puffed Pancake. This recipe can be halved if you are serving to a smaller number.

2 tbsp butter/margarine
4 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/4 tsp salt (keep salt at 1/4 tsp if you halve it)

Heat oven to 400*. Put the butter in a large rectanglar cake pan (or lasagna pan) and let it melt. In a medium mixing bowl beat the eggs. Add the flour, milk and salt and whisk until combined together (don't overmix it - lumpy is better in this case!)
Take the baking pan out and pour batter in. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Have everyone in the kitchen ready for when you take it out of the oven for the 'ooh ahh' moment. Serve with your favorite pancake toppings. We used mixed berry topping and whipped cream this morning. Everyone else enjoyed sausages (which I finally made properly) as a side.



Alternate:

Apple Puffed Pancake
Slice 2 baking apples thinly. After the butter is melted, sprinkle pan with brown sugar and cinnimon. Layer the apples on the bottom before pouring the batter over.

Peach Puffed Pancake
As above with the apples, only use peach slices instead.

Berry Topping
Fill a medium bowl with mixed frozen berries (2 cups). Heat in the microwave for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup sugar. Mix well.