There are various legends around its origins, but they all agree on one thing: The name refers to Kaiser Franz Joseph I.
His wife, Empress Elisabeth – known to most as Sisi – was reportedly the first person to be served Kaiserschmarrn. We traveled to the Austrian capital of Vienna to find out how the imperial dish is prepared.
Ingredients for 4 servings
Kaiserschmarrn:
270g flour
40g sugar
A pinch of salt
8 eggs
400ml milk
50g clarified butter (for the pan)
A pinch of powdered sugar for sprinkling
Plum roast:
800g plums
144g sugar
120ml water
1 stick of cinnamon
4 cloves lemon peel (grated)
Preparation
Kaiserschmarrn:
1. In a bowl: mix flour, sugar, salt, and 5 eggs. Add the milk, beat until smooth and thick.
2. In another bowl, beat the whites of 3 eggs, a pinch of salt and sugar and whip to a firm peak. Then fold it into the thick batter.
3. Heat the clarified butter in a large, shallow pan so that it is very hot. Slowly pour in the batter. Using a spatula, make sure it turns brown on both sides.
4. Then bake the pan in a preheated oven at moderate heat (hot air approx. 180°C) for 10-12 min. until the Kaiserschmarrn is light golden brown.
5. Then remove the pan from the oven and tear the finished dough into irregular pieces with two forks.
Stewed Plums:
1. Bring water to a boil with sugar, the cinnamon stick, cloves, the halved, pitted plums, and some grated lemon zest, stirring, then continue to boil gently, about 20 minutes. The plums should not have broken down yet – they shouldn’t be mushy!
2. Fill small jugs with stewed plums.
3. Arrange the Kaiserschmarrn on plates, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with the stewed plums.
