Finnish Carrot Pancake with Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients
Cranberry Sauce: Optional:
 * 1 1/2	cup	carrot grated
 * 1/2	cup	onion grated
 * 1/2	cup	dry bread crumbs or wheat germ
 * 4	lrg	eggs
 * 1/4	cup	milk
 * 1/2	cup	flour white, wheat or rye
 * 1 1/2	tsp	salt or less to taste
 * 1/2	tsp	thyme scant
 * 1/2	tsp	nutmeg scant
 * 1/4	tsp	ground cumin
 * freshly ground pepper to taste
 * 1	tbl	canola oil
 * 12	oz	fresh cranberries or lingonberries
 * 1/2	cup	maple syrup up to 2/3 cup
 * 1	x	orange
 * 1/2	tsp	ground ginger
 * 1/2	tsp	ground cardamom
 * 1	dsh	cinnamon
 * sour cream

Directions
For the Carrot Pancake: In a mixing bowl, combine the grated carrots, grated onion and bread crumbs or wheat germ. Toss to mix evenly. Preheat the oven to 450 deg F. In a blender or by hand, combine the eggs, milk, flour and seasonings until smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides of the blender or bowl once or twice. In a large mixing bowl, combine the carrot mixture and the contents of the blender. Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a heavy 9" or 10" cast iron skillet, or similar heavy shallow baking dish that can go in the oven. Heat the oil in the skillet. When quite hot but not smoking, pour in the pancake mixture; make sure the carrots are evenly distributed. Place the skillet in the preheated oven. After 20 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 350 deg F and continue to bake for another 10 - 15 minutes. The pancake should be light brown, puffy and crisp. Serve immediately, topped with cranberry sauce and sour cream, if desired. To prepare Cranberry Sauce: Wash and drain the cranberries. Remove any soft or discolored berries, and any stems or leaves. Wash the orange, and grate the orange rind only (avoid the bitter white pith); squeeze the juice from the orange. You are looking to obtain about 1/2 cup of juice and grated rind combined. Mix all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat for 10 - 15 minutes, stirring, until the cranberries have popped and the sauce is thick. May be made ahead. Serve hot or cold. Commercial whole berry cranberry sauce or commercial cranberry/orange relish can be substituted, if you must. The Finnish name for the carrot pancake is Porkkanapannukakku. The Finnish name for the Cranberry Sauce is Karpalokastike. Your guess is as good as mine for how these are pronounced. Here is homey family supper that my family really enjoys at this time of year. It combines the colors and flavors of the season in a rather unusual (but delicious) way. While the nutritional profile is well within the elf guidelines, there is also ample room to cut fat and calories even farther - substituting 4 egg white for 2 of the whole eggs, using skim or 1% milk, for example. I like to serve this with some form of green cabbage; we like steamed cabbage, but a crisp coleslaw (creamy or marinated) is good, too. I think cucumbers in sour cream is a more traditional accompaniment. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!