Today I bring you the joys of kaiserschmarrn. I had this delectable treat twice during my recent visit to Germany.
My daughter introduced me to it first at a pub where we ordered one to share for dessert. That one was served in a cast iron skillet it had been nicely caramelized in and then topped with berries and iced cream.
I was smitten.
The second time I had it was at a food booth at one of the Christmas markets….atmosphere-on-steroids makes anything tastier, but this was also objectively delicious. And even though it was essentially faire fare, it was still served on an actual plate. God bless the Germans.
That time we got to watch the entire process from the batter being folded together and the mixture dolloped onto the griddle, right through to the slicing, caramelizing, and topping - we had it topped with cherries and vanilla pudding sauce.
Kaiserschmarrn are technically pancakes, so they could certainly stand in for a fancy-ish breakfast/brunch food as well as a dessert.
Austrian in origin, the name translates to ‘imperial mess’ and was reportedly a favorite of Franz Josef I. I have my suspicions they were originally a kitchen error in some court kitchen covered up by clever upcycling, but however they came to be, I am glad they did!
Kaiserschmarrn is essentially a soufflé style pancake cooked, cut up, pan toasted and topped with anything from powdered sugar and lemon, to applesauce, fruit compote, creme anglaise, or ice cream.
Some recipes call for adding rum soaked raisins to the batter, which I have not tried, but might be lovely with an apple topping…hmmmm…
As you can see, it’s pretty much a ‘choose your own adventure’ kind of dish, so feel free to experiment with add-ins to the batter and different toppings.
On New Years Day, back at home in New England, I decided to try my hand at making them for a celebratory brunch and the results were just as I had hoped!
I used the Kaiserschmarrn pancake recipe from Smitten Kitchen for the first step. I made up the fruit compote from what I had on hand, and I researched creme anglaise recipes with varying degrees of complexity. I settled on an adaptation of the simplest one I could find.
Creme Anglaise is the food of the gods…right up there with buttercream on my favorites list. It is similar in flavor and ingredients to pastry cream (like you find in an eclair) except not as thick as it contains no corn starch or flour and is thickened only with eggs and maintains a pourable consistency.
Kaiserschmarrn Pancakes
Adapted from the Smitten Kitchen Blog
This made ~3 servings
4 large eggs, separated
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
3 Tbsp unsalted butter (or clarified butter/ghee)
powdered sugar
toppings of choice
We topped ours with a fruit compote made by combining a bag of frozen peaches, about 1/2 cup of frozen raspberries, ~ 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/4 cup peach schnapps over medium heat and cooking until slightly thickened.
And finished with a simple version of a warm creme anglaise, a vanilla custard sauce.
Pancake directions
Whisk together egg yolk, sugar, salt and baking powder
Whisk in milk, then add flour and whisk until mostly smooth - let rest for 10 minutes
In a second bowl beat egg whites until they hold firm peaks
Fold egg whites into egg yolk mixture using a spatula and taking care not to deflate the egg whites
Heat a medium large skillet or griddle over medium heat
Add 2 Tbsp butter
Pour in pancake batter for one large pancake NOTE: at this point I followed the recipe, but the ones I watched being made in Germany on a griddle were smaller - ~7” diameter, and that would be so much easier to flip so I will probably break out additional pans to do this next time.
Cook for 3-4 minutes until it is golden brown underneath then flip until it is golden on the reverse side, another ~3 minutes.
Chop or tear the pancake right in the pan into 1” -2” using the spatula.
Add the other Tbsp of butter and sprinkle a dusting of powdered sugar over the torn bits.
Toss the pancake pieces and sugar in the melted butter over medium heat to caramelize and finish cooking. Don’t overcook - ideally the pancake pieces should retain a bit of custard-like consistency in the center.
Serve warm with the toppings of your choice.
Creme Anglaise Recipe
1 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla
Creme Anglaise directions
Heat cream in a heavy saucepan over medium heat until until it begins to bubble
In a pyrex measuring cup, whisk yolks with sugar until smooth
Pour half the hot cream Ito the egg yolks and whisk to combine
Pour the egg yolk mixture back into the simmering cream and continue cooking and stirring until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla
This particular version of creme anglaise is fairly easy and fast to make. If it cooks unevenly and develops any lumps or brown bits, simply strain the sauce through a sieve once it is finished.
Between the pancakes and the toppings, this did make a mess of the kitchen and use a fair number of pots, pans, and bowls, but it was TOTALLY worth it!
Serve with Bellinis or Mimosas for a celebratory brunch, or coffee for a decadent dessert.
