Kaiserschmarrn

“Kaiserschmarrn” is a warm meal baked in an open frying pan, quickly made and fried in fat, which is sometimes finished in the oven, torn into little pieces and then served. The original dish (made of milk, flour and butter, stirred until a liquid dough develops) was a quickly prepared meal made by peasants, made in particular in the Alps region, and has developed into a dish for everybody. There are also savoury types like “Erdäpfelschmarrn” made from potatoes, or Schmarrn made with different meat types, which were formerly very popular. It actually is a sweet meal named after the main ingredient: “Grieß“ (semolina), “Kipferl“ (croissant), “Semmel“ (bread rolls), “Topfen“ (curd cheese) and “Mehl“ (flour) schmarrn, out of which the most famous Viennese schmarren developed, the “Kaiserschmarrn”. 

There are many stories about how it was developed, all involving Emperor Franz Joseph I and his wife Elisabeth, but none of them have ever solidly been proven. It is much more likely that the prefix “Kaiser” refers to the special quality of a meal (such as “Kaisersemmel” – a particularly big, handmade bread roll, or “Kaisergugelhupf”, a special type of Bundt cake).

1. Beat the 2 eggs together with salt with the egg whisk, add the milk. Gently fold in the flour. 
2. Heat the clarified butter in a pan and pour the batter into the hot butter. Spread the raisins to taste on the batter. Cover the batter! And reduce the heat.
3. Bake about 3 to 5 minutes, covered, until golden brown.  
4. When the batter pulls away from the sides, turn it with the palette, cover it again and bake the second side until it is golden brown.  
5. When the batter starts to pull away again, tear the batter into little pieces with 2 smooth cooking spoons, add a large piece of butter and cover it again.   
6. Serve on a pre-heated plate and dust it richly with icing sugar. 
7. Serve with Zwetschgenröster, cranberries or (homemade) apple sauce. 

Special characteristics

Recipe without whisked egg whites

Oven settings/baking time and temperature

Baked on the stove, the pan must be very hot but you need to bake it over reduced heat to avoid burning it or baking it too dark brown

Tools you’ll need

Scale, coated pan with cover, flat cooking spatula, bowl, egg whisk, long straight palette knife