Kaiserschmarrn   (Sweet Pancakes with raisins, rum, and almonds)

The dish dates back to the 1800's in Austria. The legend goes that Kaiser Franz Joseph (1830-1916), on one of his hunting expeditions, was served a Holzfällerschmarrn. This was a pancake made out of flour and fat. However, the Kaiser didn't care for the dish, so the recipe was modified. Instead of fat, eggs and milk were used to make the pancakes. The Kaiser loved it ... and this new dish was called Kaiserschmarrn in his honor.

1 cup Milk

4 Egg Yolks

1 Vanilla Bean

1/2 teaspoon Lemon Zest

1 1/2 tablespoon Butter (softened)

4 Egg Whites

2 tablespoons Sugar

Butter for frying

Pinch of Salt

3 Sugar

2 tablespoons Sliced Almond

2 tablespoons Rum (optional)

Raisins (optional)

Powdered Sugar

Combine raisins and rum. Set aside.

Slice the vanilla bean open and scrape out its seeds.

Mix flour, milk, egg yolks, vanilla seeds, lemon zest and 1 1/2 tablespoon butter. Combine until the batter is smooth and well blended.

Whip the egg whites. While whipping, add 2 tablespoons sugar and salt. Whip until stiff peaks form. Fold into the batter along with the rum-raisins.

Put 1 tablespoon butter each into two small frying pans. In the first pan, pour in batter to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Allow to cook until golden brown on one side, then flip batter to allow to cook on other side.

Using a fork, break the sweet omelette into mouth-size pieces. Transfer pieces to second pan. Sprinkle with about 1 teaspoon sugar (or according to taste) and fry the pieces in the butter and sugar until lightly caramelized. Add almond slices to allow them to roast.

Transfer Kaiserschmarren to a plate and dust with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.