Kaiserschmarren is a thick, souffle-like pancake, first created for the Austrian Emperor, Francis Joseph I. Oma and Opa Muschenetz grew up in Czechia, an area under the Austro-Hungarian Empire and full of Viennese influences. The dish was a “company-over-for-breakfast” kind of recipe in the Muschenetz household–a fancy treat that was unusual for American palettes and fun to eat. Light in texture, you could have seconds or thirds of it without feeling guilty.
Ingo’s mom, Karen remembers ordering Kaiserschmarren during a hike in the Austrian Alps. Traditionally served swimming in butter, Karen has adapted this recipe from the Das Große Sacher Kochbuch, and reduced the sugar and butter substantially.
Kaiserschmarren
Luckily preparing Kaiserschmarren is almost always easier than spelling it.
Ingredients
- 5 eggs, separated
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2/3 cup flour
- 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp. powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 1/3 cup currants, raisins, or cranberries
- 1 tbsp. rum + 1 tbsp. water.
- 1 8″ x 11″ x 2″ pan
- 2 tbsp. butter
Directions
- Heat oven to 340 F.
- Clarify butter and pour into pan, coating bottom only.
- Heat currants with rum and water, bring to boil, remove from heat and let cool. Drain.
- Mix flour, sugar, salt, eggs yolks and vanilla very thoroughly (a blender is good for this). Beat eggs whites until stiff, but not dry. Pour flour mixture over eggs whites and fold to combine. Don’t over mix–some bits of egg white are still okay.
- Pour egg mixture into the pan and even out the top. Sprinkle the top with the drained fruit and place on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake until puffy and golden brown, approximately 20 minutes. It’s sensitive to over baking, so watch carefully. Remove from oven and sift 1 tbsp. powdered sugar over the top.
- To serve, use two forks to pull pieces apart from one another. Using a knife will crush the mixture. Serve immediately with sauteed apples or a fruit compote. This can also be reheated the next day in a microwave and it will puff up again nicely.