OK, so back to your dad. We’re not done with him yet. We’ve dealt with the savoury dads, so let’s address the sweet ones. If he’s a sweet tooth, here’s THE breakfast treat for your Pa; oaty pancakes dripping in gooey caramel sauce with roasted pears.

The oats and pears in this recipe make it nominally healthy, but it’s a slippery slope to indulgence-ville from there. We break out the butter and cream for the rich, sticky caramel sauce – it’s the kind you’d mostly expect over a dessert. But it’s Father’s Day, your dad’s a champ, and he deserves all the dairy products he darn well likes for breakfast on his day. Dollop on the whipped cream, or even scoops of ice-cream if he likes, and spoil him rotten. Hop to it!

MAKES ABOUT 10

80g (⅔ cup) quick-cook rolled oats

150g (1 cup) self-raising flour

1 tsp baking soda

55g (¼ cup) caster sugar

½ tsp salt

2 eggs

75g butter, melted, plus extra for cooking

350ml buttermilk

Whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream, to serve

Caramel butter sauce

220g (1 cup) caster sugar

125ml (½ cup) pouring cream

40g butter, chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Roast pears

3 firm, ripe beurre bosc pears

25g butter, chopped

3 tbsp caster sugar

For the roasted pears, preheat the oven to 180˚C, fan-forced. Cut the pears into wedges, about 6 wedges per pear, removing the core as you go. Place the wedges in a single layer in a roasting dish, then scatter with the butter and sugar. Bake for 1 hour, turning over halfway, or until tender and a little charred around the edges. Reduce the oven to 120˚C for keeping the pancakes warm

Meanwhile, for the caramel butter sauce, combine the sugar with 60ml (¼ cup) water in a small saucepan and slowly bring to a simmer. Cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, for 6-7 minutes or until the mixture turns a deep caramel colour. Remove from the heat then, working quickly and taking care as the mixture will spit, add the cream and butter. Swirl the pan to combine well then return to the heat and cook the mixture over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, or until it  boils. Remove from the heat, add the vanilla, then set aside while you make the pancakes.

Combine the oats, flour, baking soda, sugar and salt in a bowl, and whisk to mix well. 

Beat the eggs in a bowl, add the butter and buttermilk, then whisk to combine well. Add to the flour mixture, then whisk until a batter forms. Stand the batter for 10 minutes to allow it to thicken a little.

Heat a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium heat, then add enough butter to very lightly coat the base of the pan when it melts and sizzles. Working in batches, drop ¼-cupfuls of the batter into the pan to form pancakes, then cook for 3 minutes or until bubbles form on the surface. Flip, then cook for another 2-3 minutes or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate, then keep warm in the oven while the remaining pancakes cook. Serve the pancakes with the pears, sauce and whipped cream or ice cream.