Ancestry Magazine

I remember watching my mother tear the fluffiest pancake I’d ever seen into chunks, crumbling it into the pan, sprinkling it with sugar, and serving it up with a side of family history as she talked about her own mother making Kaiserschmarren. According to Mom, the Austrian dish’s name meant Emperor’s Dessert, although in German a schmarr is also a cut or slash.

It was a treat to have my mother cook this special dish, and I got to help. Mom showed me how to separate an egg so we could beat the whites and fold them into the dough. I learned to toss an egg yolk back and forth between two shell halves. Sometimes the rough edge of the shell pierced the yolk. I hated that.

This recipe was typed years ago by my mother and put into a cookbook she created for me and my siblings. When I received the book at age 20, I didn’t recognize the effort she put into this wonderful creation. Now every time I make Kaiserschmarren, I think of my mother’s gift of memories, which infuse every bite.

Kaiserschmarren (Emperor’s Dessert)
Four servings
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
4 eggs, separated
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 cup milk or cream
1/2 cup dried currants, rinsed in hot water, drained
2 tablespoons ground or grated toasted almonds (optional)
Butter for frying
Vanilla sugar

Sift flour into a bowl. Make a well in the center and add mixture of beaten egg yolks, salt, lemon extract, and a little of the milk. Mix well, adding more milk gradually. Add currants and almonds. Fold in egg whites, beaten stiff. Pour into a hot 10-inch skillet with about 2 tablespoons butter in it, making a 3/8-inch layer. Fry until golden on the bottom. Then tear into pieces with two forks, cook until brown on all sides. Repeat, making four pancakes. Serve hot, sprinkled with vanilla sugar.

Editor’s note: Place approximately 1/4 of batter into pan for each pancake.