Kaiserschmarren (King's Rubbish)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup flour

• 1 cup milk

• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 3 tbsp sugar

• Pinch of salt

• 4 egg yolks

• 4 egg whites

• 4 tbsp butter, melted

• 1/4 cup raisins

• 1/3 to 1/2 cup orange juice

• 2 tbsp chopped walnut, optional

• powdered sugar for dusting

• fruit for serving: banana, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry

1. In a shallow bowl, soak raisins in orange juice.

2. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt. Add the vanilla to the milk.

3. Slowly whisk in the milk mixture into the flour mixture until smooth. Whisk in the egg yolks.

4. Beat the egg whites with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the batter.

5. Preheat oven to 425°F (400°F convection oven). Add two tablespoons each of the butter into two 12 inch pans. Place pans in the oven and allow butter to melt.

6. Pour half the batter into each pan with the melted butter.

7. Drain the orange from the raisins and sprinkle raisins over the batter. If using nuts, sprinkle over batter also.

8. Place pans on the lowest rack of the oven and bake for 9 to 10 minutes.

9. Cut into quarters with a pancake turner (or flipper), turn and bake until done, an additional 3 to 4 minutes.

10. Using two forks, tear the pancakes into rough pieces. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with your choice of fruit.

Yields: 4 servings

Notes&Tips:

• Kaiserschmarren (schmarren = rubbish) is a Viennese dish that is usually served as a dessert. Like with most famous dishes in the world, there is a back story that goes with this dessert. Plachutta: Viennese Cuisine, a cookbook published by the Plachutta Restaurants (they serve authentic Viennese fare and is a Micheline Star Restaurant) with various locations in Austria gives this back story: ...the court chef who wanted to curry favor with the emperor (Emperor Francis Joseph) wanted to serve the ascetic monarch a new dessert he had created especially for him - very much to the displeasure of the emperor's figure-conscious wife, Sisi. When she scornfully pushed aside the plate with the untouched "torn omelette", Francis Joseph, driven by curiosity, ordered his servant to pass him this Schmarren (rubbish). Thus was the Kaiserschmarren born.

• I have slightly adapted this recipe from the Plachutta: Viennese Cuisine cookbook that my husband gave to me after one of his many trips there. The traditional Kaiserschmarren does not contain nuts and is served as a dessert. It is generally accompanied with stewed plums or apricots.

• The raisins are usually soaked in rum or rum is added as a flavoring but since I do not consume alcohol, I have soaked the raisins in orange juice (apple juice would also work). Also, I have reduced the amount of sugar since I served it for breakfast.

• This adaptation of a Viennese dessert for breakfast was delicious.