On a recent vacation to Austria, I was bombarded with memories of my paternal grandparents. Everywhere we traveled, we encountered the bacons and sausages my grandfather cured in his smokehouse and the sweets my gram made so lovingly in their Chicago bungalow: Kuchens and strudels of all flavors.
When we stopped at Manuela’s Radlerstation in Hossgang, Austria, for topflenstrudel (cheese strudel) and kaiserschmarrn (a pancake), I felt certain my gram was in the kitchen. Manuela’s delicious flaky, rich treat comes this close to gram’s legendary strudel. The pancake likewise brought back memories of her home, which often smelled of butter and sugar baking.
Kaiserschmarrn (also kaiserschmarren), the torn emperor’s pancake, just might be the perfect recipe for pancake novices because it’s meant to be served torn up and ragged-looking. The only tricky part is separating eggs so the whites can be beaten for a light textured batter. The soft batter simply gets scraped into an oiled skillet. No shaping skills required. After the first side is browned, a metal spatula makes easy work of cutting the pancake into quarters for flipping. The pancake then spends a brief time in the oven while everyone gathers at the table. A generous sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar makes it all look great.
I don’t know if my gram ever made kaiserschmarrn, but her schmutta (fried, torn dumplings) must be related. A cookbook search failed to turn up a recipe for the simple dumplings. My sister found a copy in her box of kitchen memories. As with kaiserschmarrn, a pancake of dough is griddle-fried and then broken up into bits so lots of edges get crispy.
We ate schmutta on meatless Friday nights or when the family funds were low. My mom always made a double batch to feed our family of seven. Small dishes of home-canned, sliced peaches were set by everyone’s plate. I liked to dunk the fried dough scraps into the sweet peach syrup. My dad preferred a second bowl full of sweet buttermilk for dunking. (We kids never liked his buttermilk option.) These days, I serve the schmutta as an accompaniment to stews and pot roast to capture the meaty pan juices.
Dark, juicy Italian prune plums make the perfect cooked fruit accompaniment to either kaiserschmarrn or the dumplings. It’s not quite jam, not quite compote. The plums briefly cook in a light syrup until they’re soft and succulent. Italian prune plums were favorites at gram’s house, but other firm plums, like greengage, work too. This same simple sugar-syrup cooking method also makes quick jams of peeled, sliced pears, quince, apples, peaches and apricots.
Family recipes. Always worth cooking. No matter where you encounter them.
Kaiserschmarrn (The Emperor’s Pancake)
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Makes: 3 to 4 servings
This is also great served with warmed maple syrup.
4 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
Grated zest from 1 lemon
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Vegetable oil, such as sunflower or safflower oil for high-heat cooking
1/4 cup raisins, dried cranberries or diced dried apricots
3 to 4 Tbsp. melted butter
Confectioners’ sugar
Jammy plums, see recipe, or your favorite fruit preserves
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Have 2 large (10- or 12-inch) ovenproof nonstick skillets or well-seasoned cast-iron skillets ready.
Separate eggs, putting egg yolks into a large bowl and egg whites into a medium mixing bowl. Add milk and vanilla to yolks. Whisk until smooth; then stir in flour, lemon zest and salt until smooth.
With clean beaters in the other bowl, beat egg whites on high speed until frothy. Gradually beat in granulated sugar until soft peaks form. Do not overbeat. Gently fold beaten whites into flour mixture just until streaks of white disappear. Do not overmix.
Heat the skillets over medium-high heat. Very lightly film the pans with oil. Reduce heat under skillets to low. Scrape batter evenly into skillets. It’ll be about 1 inch deep. Sprinkle each pan with raisins. Cook on low until bottoms are golden, about 3 minutes. Cut the pancakes into quarters; gently flip each piece so the uncooked side is on the bottom. Put the skillets into the oven. Bake until puffed and golden on both sides, about 10 minutes. (Recipe can be made up to 30 minutes in advance to this point.)
To serve, use two forks to break the pancakes up into random-size, torn pieces. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle generously with confectioners’ sugar. Return to oven to glaze the pancakes, about 3 to 5 minutes. Serve sprinkled again with confectioners’ sugar. Pass fruit to dollop on as desired.
Nutrition information per serving (for 4 servings): 478 calories, 23 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 216 mg cholesterol, 56 g carbohydrates, 14 g protein, 190 mg sodium, 2 g fiber
Jammy Plums
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Makes: about 1 1/2 cups
This recipe doubles easily and will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator. Stir leftovers into plain yogurt or serve over vanilla ice cream.
1 lb. Italian prune plums or greengage plums or a combination
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
Pinch salt
Cut plums in half; remove pits. Cut plums into wedges. Pour sugar and 1/2 cup water into a small saucepan. Boil gently until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes.
Add cut plums to sugar mixture. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to very low; cook until plums are falling apart and tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in vinegar, allspice and salt. Cool. Serve warm.
Nutrition information per tablespoon: 28 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 7 g carbohydrates, 0 g protein, 6 mg sodium, 1 g fiber
Schmutta (torn, fried dumplings)
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
These, chewy, crispy dumplings also taste great served sprinkled with cinnamon sugar or maple syrup. To serve them as a savory side, sprinkle the finished dumplings with chopped chives.
1 1/4 cups milk
2 large eggs
2 cups flour
3 Tbsp. farina, white cornmeal or semolina
1/2 tsp. salt
Vegetable oil, such as sunflower or safflower oil for high-heat cooking
Fresh buttermilk, optional
Jammy plums, see recipe, or sliced fruit
Heat oven to 200 degrees. Mix milk and eggs in bottom of a large bowl until blended. Add flour, farina and salt. Stir until sticky batter forms.
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in bottom of a large (10- or 12-inch) nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet until hot but not smoking. Spoon half of the batter into the pan. Cook until bottom is almost set. Then use the flat end of a metal spatula to flip and break the cake into small, irregular bits, cooking and stirring them all the while until crisp and golden, about 5 minutes total.
Drain on a paper towel-lined baking sheet. Keep warm in the oven while you cook the remaining batter. Serve hot dumplings with small bowls of buttermilk and fruit.
Nutrition information per serving: 512 calories, 26 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 99 mg cholesterol, 58 g carbohydrates, 13 g protein, 435 mg sodium, 2 g fiber
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