Kaiserschmarrn | Dessert recipe

by Mareen Poeschl

Kaiserschmarrn is a well-known, traditional Austrian dessert.

Translated, its name would mean something like ‘Emperor’s nonsense or rubbish.’ Until today, its origins seem to be shrouded in mystery, as there is no definite explanation of how the name Kaiserschmarrn came about.

Most commonly, it is said that emperor Franz Joseph the First’s cook messed up cooking pancakes every other time and therefore served it to the servants saying something like: "The emperor can’t be served rubbish like that.“

The following recipe serves two persons.

Ingredients:

150 g flour

3 eggs

30 g icing sugar

a pinch of salt

250 ml milk

butter

raisins

 

- Separate the egg yolks from the whites.

- Mix the egg yolks, sugar, flour and milk in a bowl.

- Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites and beat until stiff.

- Beat the egg whites and then carefully fold them into the flour and egg mixture.

- Melt some butter in a large frying pan.

Pour in the dough and then sprinkle with raisins. Cook on one side for a couple of minutes, turn over, cook and then chop into rough pieces with a fork.

Kaiserschmarrn is usually being served sprinkled with icing sugar and with accompaniment of either apple sauce or stewed plums .

The Austrian and German apple sauce is quite different to the English one. You can get it at the German Deli stall at Borough Market or simply make it yourself.