Kaiserschmarren is a lightly sweetened pancake that takes its name from the Austrian emperor Kaiser Franz Joseph I, who was very fond of this kind of fluffy shredded pancake. It's served as dessert or as a light lunch and is popular in Austria.
Kaiserschmarren recipe (serves 2 large servings, or 4 small servings)
Ingredients:
4 large eggs, separated
35g raisins
5 mls vanilla extract
35 mls rum
240g crème fraiche
20g self-raising flour
pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
150g granulated sugar
20g unsalted butter to coat pan
sugar for coating pan
For the Strawberry compote:
300g strawberries, hulled, or hulled and halved large berries, 4 cups total
5 mls vanilla extract
30 mls orange juice (if you squeeze a fresh orange, you can also use the zest)
25g granulated sugar
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice (½ Tablespoon)
Icing sugar for dusting
Method:
Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 220°C, low fan.
Separate egg yolk and egg whites into 2 bowls.
Meanwhile, put the raisins and rum in a small bowl and steep for about 10 minutes.
Put the crème fraîche, 50g of the sugar, egg yolks, and a spoonful of the rum in a mixing bowl. Whisk until blended. Drain the rest of the rum from the raisins, and stir them into the mixture along with the flour.
Put the egg whites in a large, clean mixing bowl. Add the cream of tartar and salt. With a electric mixer on medium speed, beat until thick and foamy. Then gradually add the remaining 100g of sugar. Continue beating until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted out.
Drop a large scoop of the meringue onto the egg yolk batter. With a spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter to lighten it. Scoop the remaining meringue over the batter and gently fold it in.
Coat a medium ovenproof skillet or casserole dish with the butter. Sprinkle in sugar and shake and rotate to coat the butter. Tap out any excess.
Gently scrape the batter into the prepared dish. Bake in the preheated oven until puffed, golden brown on top, and springy to a gentle touch at its center, 12-15 minutes. It should not be wobbly in the centre.
While the batter bakes, in a skillet stir together the berries, lemon juice, 25g white sugar, orange juice (and zest if you have it) and vanilla. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring to help the sugar dissolve and mashing a few of the berries to help thicken the sauce.
Divide the compote among serving plates. With a large serving spoon, scoop up large dollops of the Kaiserschmarren, distributing them evenly on top of the compote. Dust generously with icing sugar. Serve immediately.
