Germany Searches for the Ultimate Kaiserschmarrn

Millions of tourists cannot be wrong: Kaiserschmarrn clearly has something special. During Feel Austria Week in Berlin, three top chefs will once again compete to present their versions of the world’s best shredded pancake dessert.

Nikodemus Berger, Sebastian Frank and Lucas Huemer all share one distinction: they are Austrians working in Berlin. Berger, who was born in Vienna and trained at the Le Méridien hotel, now heads Bonvivant, a vegan Berlin restaurant with one Michelin star.

Frank grew up in Bruck an der Leitha and has become one of Germany’s best-known chefs with an “emancipated vegetable cuisine” built around childhood memories. He runs the two-Michelin-starred Horváth with his wife, Jeannine. Huemer, from Leonding, has turned the Austrian Embassy in Berlin into a sought-after culinary address, although diners need an invitation to eat there.

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The firmness of the egg whites is key to the perfect consistency!

The three chefs will work with eggs, milk, flour, sugar and butter, along with any secret ingredients, in the contest on Sept. 20. Tickets cost 73 euros, including drinks. The Austrian ambassador is also expected to attend.

Frank won last year’s contest and shared his recipe with Die Presse. It uses four eggs, 100 milliliters of milk, 80 grams of flour, a tablespoon of powdered sugar, three tablespoons of butter and a pinch of salt. His key technique is to add sugar to the egg whites after they have begun to stiffen. “The firmness of the egg whites is key to the perfect consistency!” Frank says.

He advises beating the whites until stiff but not overbeating them, then gently folding in the yolk mixture. The batter goes into a pan with butter over medium heat and cooks covered. Frank says the sugar helps stabilize the foam, create more even air bubbles and produce a creamier texture.

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The most important thing is to add sugar to the egg whites so they become more stable.