The Ultimate Austrian Alpine Treat: Kaiserschmarrn

Traveling through the Alps for the past few weeks, we were searching for a few things: the finest high-alpine singletrack riding, who makes the best cappuccino, and where to find the best Kaiserschmarrn. Unsurprisingly, after trying numerous restaurants and locales, the best one we found was at a tiny mountain hut above the ski town of Sölden, freshly made for breakfast after we pedaled up for an early-morning mission. (Pro Tip: if you find one on a menu and it says something about waiting 20 minutes, it's going to be freshly made and therefore MUCH better).

At home, it's actually really easy to make and requires only ingredients you'll likely already have. You'll find this recipe in the back of our book, and although we've found most ski bums to be a little intimidated by it, it's surprisingly simple! The story behind the dish involves an Austrian Emperor who wanted something more than eggs for breakfast, so the court's kitchen mixed together a few extra things they had lying around to create what's literally called "the emperor's mess." So whip one of these up the next time you want something sweet. It's great any time of day.

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs, separated

• ¼ cup sugar

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), divided

• 2 cups flour

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1 ½ cups milk (regular or alternative will work)

• 1/4 cup of raisins (optional)

For serving:

• 2 Tbsp. confectioners sugar

• ¼ cup your favorite berry jam or fruit preserves

*You can substitute gluten free all-purpose with great results!

Directions:

1. Separate eggs with yolks in a big mixing bowl and whites in a small bowl.

2. Whip egg whites, sugar, and salt until stiff.

3. Melt one third of the stick of butter (a little over 2 Tbsp.) and add to egg yolks along with flour, raisins and baking powder and mix well.

4. Heat a large skillet to medium with the rest of the butter, coating all sides of the pan.

5. Gently fold stiff egg whites into batter and stir until just combined.

6. Pour batter into the buttered pan and cook until brown on the bottom, about 7-10 minutes.

7. Once the bottom is brown, divide into four or five pieces and flip the batter over.

8. Use your spatula to break up the Kaiserschmarrn into small, golf-ball sized pieces and scramble it together.

9. Cover generously with confectioners sugar and serve with a side of jam or fruit preserves.