Felix Austria is a tiny little restaurant in Berlin-Kreuzberg. Red and white checkered tablecloths, dark wooden furniture, bottles of the herb-lemonade Almdudler in the fridge. On the menu: sausage salad, potato salad, goulash, Marillenknödel (Apricot Knodel), and these Kaiserschmarrn, an Austrian pancake dessert. The Austrian kitchen is everything but a kitchen for vegetarians – and those of you afraid of butter should really stay far away from it. The Alpine Kitchen is very popular here in Berlin, and for good reason: it’s comfort food number one. Like this dessert with way too much icing sugar, I love it.
Sweet, serves 6
Action Time: 20 minutes
7 oz/200 g plain flour
12 fl oz/350 ml milk, at room temperature
3 tbsp cane sugar
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
2.5 oz /75 g raisins
5 tbsp/75 g butter
icing sugar, for sprinkling
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together flour, milk, sugar, and salt until batter is smooth. Add the eggs and stir until just combined, avoid over-stirring. Stir in the raisins.
2. In a large heavy bottomed frying pan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Add the batter and cook for about 5 minutes, until golden. Flip the pancake using the spatulas (this isn’t easy as the pancake is very thick and heavy, but you don’t need to do this neatly). Cook the pancake for 4 more minutes.
3. Cut and tear the pancake, still in the pan, into little pieces using the spatulas, and cook until done. Sprinkle generously with the icing sugar while still warm and serve immediately. Tastes very good with compote or marmalade.
