Retreating to the countryside is the best thing about summer. The long days, cooking outside, and unlimited space for Magnus to run, scream and hop. Unlike the overwhelming swelter of the city, the rolling hills of Brittany offer windswept afternoons and cool evenings. Just a mere 2 hours outside of the city brings us to a remote village of Mammers with a town pool, a small zoo and a supermarket. The surrounding villages are nothing more than a cluster of homes surrounded by fields and fields of corn, sunflower and wheat.
I had been longing to leave the city, grill on an open fire and have al fresco meals. And the first morning of our arrival, we made fresh heart waffles – soft and buttery – just like way they make them in Norway. My husband grew up having waffles at least once a week, if not daily, and having waffles with coffee is a Norwegian tradition. Norwegian waffles are sweeter, softer and more pancake-like than Belgium waffles, and Norwegians usually top it with brown goat cheese or cream and sugar and roll it up in their hands and eat them as a snack. It is a great snack or breakfast meal for kids.
In this recipe I use whole wheat flour and oat flour rather than the white flour that is traditionally used. This gives a depth to the waffles and a bit more consistency. We topped it with sugar and berried picked by Magnus from the garden which were tart and sweet.
A perfect breakfast to start the summer day.
Norwegian Heart Waffles
1 stick melted butter
4 large eggs
4 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground cardamon
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oat flour
1 teaspoon ground flaxseed
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
Sugar for topping
Mixed berries (strawberries, wild berries, blueberries) for topping.
1. Combine the flours, baking powder, flaxseeds and sugar.
2. Gradually add the milk and mix until smooth. Beat in the eggs and melted butter. 3. Put the batter into the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. Cook the waffles in a waffle maker (or iron waffle pan) in batches. Serve with sprinkled sugar, whipped cream and berries.
SMART BITES FOR BABY 