Kaiserschmarrn

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, separated
• 250 ml whole milk
• 120 g plain flour
• 30 g caster sugar, plus extra for caramelising
• 1 pinch salt
• 60 g unsalted butter, divided: for frying and for caramelising
• 60 g raisins, optional but traditional
• 60 ml dark rum, for soaking the raisins
• 20 g icing sugar, for dusting
• For the Zwetschkenröster
• 500 g plums (Zwetschken), stoned and halved
• 80 g caster sugar
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cloves

Method

1. 1
   If using raisins, submerge them in the dark rum and leave for at least 30 minutes. Pre-soaked raisins remain plump throughout cooking; dry raisins will absorb moisture from the batter and create dry spots. The raisins are ready when visibly swollen.
2. 2
   Prepare the Zwetschkenröster: combine the plums, caster sugar, cinnamon stick and cloves in a saucepan over moderate heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the plums have collapsed into a jammy, thick compote. Set aside and keep warm. The compote is done when it holds its shape on a spoon without running.
3. 3
   Separate the eggs. Whisk the yolks with the milk, flour, caster sugar and salt into a smooth, lump-free batter. Drain the rum-soaked raisins and fold them into the batter. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks — they are ready when the bowl can be inverted without movement. Fold the whites into the batter in two additions, working gently to preserve as much volume as possible. The finished batter should be visibly aerated and pale.
4. 4
   Heat the oven to 180 °C. Melt half the butter in a large ovenproof frying pan over moderate heat. Pour in the batter. Cook without disturbing until the underside is golden and the batter is set from the base upward but still visibly wet on top — lift an edge with a spatula to check the colour beneath.
5. 5
   Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 5 minutes. The top is done when it is set and dry to the touch and no longer trembles when the pan is gently shaken. Without this oven stage the mass cannot be torn cleanly.
6. 6
   Return the pan to the hob over moderate heat. Add the remaining butter. Using two forks or spoons, tear — do not cut — the mass into irregular pieces directly in the pan. The tearing motion produces rough, uneven edges. Scatter caster sugar over the pieces and toss them repeatedly in the pan. This is where the dish lives or dies: the torn, sugar-dusted pieces must caramelise in the residual butter, developing a brown, slightly crisp exterior on their rough edges. Smooth cut edges will not caramelise as effectively. The pieces are done when they are brown and lightly crunchy at the edges and the butter in the pan smells of caramel.
7. 7
   Remove from the heat. Dust generously with icing sugar. Serve immediately from the pan alongside the warm Zwetschkenröster. The contrast between the hot, eggy, caramelised pieces and the cold, tart compote is the dish's defining character.