Kaiserschmarren (Austrian Pancake)
The story goes that when Austrian Kaiser Franz Josef's chef noticed that he always broke his pancake into small pieces before eating it, he began serving it that way. We think he was on to something, because tearing the pancake up prior to removing it from the pan allows the delectable buttery crust to be evenly dispersed among the whole batch. We serve this for breakfast with a dusting of powdered sugar. The Austrians also serve it with stewed plums.
- 2 cups flour
- 1 cup milk
- 4 large eggs, separated
- 1 TBSP vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup raisins or craisins (optional)
Turn the oven on to 375°F and put a 12" cast iron pan in the oven so that it can get hot. A cast iron pan really makes a difference in crust formation (and the crust is the best part), but a 7x11" glass baking pan also works.
In a large bowl, mix flour, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla together to form a thick paste. Whip eggwhites with 1/4 cup sugar to medium stiff peaks. Fold eggwhites into the flour and milk mixture. Fold in raisins if desired.
When the oven is fully up to temperature, add the butter to the pan and return to the oven to melt for 2-3 minutes. Pour the batter into the pan, do not stir. (Sometimes we forget to fold in the raisins earlier, so we just sprinkle them on top at this point.) Bake for 20 minutes. After it comes out, while it's still piping hot, use a couple forks to tear the pancake into pieces. Be careful with the hot butter in the dish, though! Serve with powdered sugar, syrup, or whatever you like.