Sweet Apricot Dumplings Aka Marillenknödel Recipes

MARILLENKNöDEL RECIPE (APRICOT DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• First create the choux dough. Heat up a pot and melt the butter and pour in the milk + season with a pinch of salt. Mix and heat up on medium heat and bring to a boil.
• Take from the heat and add in the flour.
• Take the pot back to low heat and keep on stirring! Don't waste time at this point, stay focused because it's important that you follow this step!
• While you keep on stirring, the dough will form to a ball and at the bottom of your pot, you will notice a layer of sticky flour. If you see flour at the bottom of the pot, it is the right way and all is good.
• Place the dough into a bowl and let cool for some time.
• In the meantime, wash and pat dry your fresh Apricots. Slice into half and discard the core.
• When the dough has cooled, add the egg yolks and mix it into the dough. The dough needs to be cool or lumps will form and the ingredients won't bind.
• Shape the dough into a large sausage.
• Keep a large pot with water to boil.
• Cut the dough into 12 pieces. Flatten with a rolling pin into flat rounds. Place the apricot into the center of a round and shape the dough around the fruit. Seal the ends of the dough well. Your dumplings should be round.
• Place the dumplings into the boiling water and cook until the dumplings swim on the surface of the water. Take them out and keep them dry.
• While the dumplings are cooking, heat up a frying pan and melt the butter and add the breadcrumbs. Mix it all well over low heat.
• Take each dumpling and drag it through the butter breadcrumbs mixture to coat evenly.
• Serve as a dessert.

MARILLENKNöDEL (AUSTRIAN APRICOT DUMPLINGS)

Steps:

• Add the soft butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt to a medium bowl and whisk until combined (or just stir with a spatula or a spoon).
• Add the egg and cheese, whisk until combined (lumps are fine).
• Add the flour and stir with a spatula/spoon until combined. Don't stir for too long. The dough should be slightly sticky. If the dough is very very sticky (this will depend on the kind of cheese you've used) you can add 1-2 teaspoons of flour, but remember it will be much easier to handle after it has rested in the fridge. The dough should not be too dry and not sticky.
• Scoop out the dough from the bowl onto a piece of plastic foil. Wrap the dough in plastic foil and form a round disk. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes (or longer, even overnight).
• While the dough is chilling, prepare the apricots and the breadcrumb topping.
• Cut the apricots in half and remove the stone.
• Place a cube of sugar in place of the stone, press the two apricot halves together until the apricot closes. Set aside.
• Melt the butter in a medium pan, when it's bubbling add the breadcrumbs.
• Cook over medium-low heat, stirring very frequently, until the breadcrumbs are golden brown in color (be careful, they can burn quickly).
• Take the pan off the heat and stir in the sugar and cinnamon.
• Take the dough out of the fridge, sprinkle it with flour and divide with a knife into 8 parts (if you have very large apricots, divide the dough into 6 parts).
• Place one part on sprinkled with flour surface, sprinkle it with flour on top. Apply some flour to your hand. Place one apricot in the middle of the dough and press the dough around the apricot, seal well. You should not be able to see the seam. Place the dumplings on a plate.
• Cook the dumplings in a large amount of salted water, abour 4 dumplings at a time. Throw them into boiling water and cook for about 12 minutes (from the moment you've put them in water). Reduce the heat to medium-low, the water should only simmer. After a couple of minutes, try to stir the dumpling carefully with a spoon as they tend to stick to the bottom of the pot sometimes.
• Take the cooked dumplings out of the water with a slotted spoon, drain well.
• Place the hot dumplings in the pan with breadcrumb topping. Roll the dumplings in the breadcrumbs until coated on all sides.
• Put the dumpling onto plates, sprinkle with icing sugar.
• Enjoy!

SWEET APRICOT DUMPLINGS AKA. MARILLENKNöDEL

Steps:

• 1. Wash the apricots, dry, and remove the pits. Replace the pits in each apricot with a sugar cube and set aside. Prepare two large pots with water and slowly bring the water to a boil - the dumplings need space to be able to swim, so two pots are the best option here.
• 2. Add the soft butter, curd cheese (quark), and vanilla extract to a large bowl and mix until well combined. Add the eggs and mix in well. Add the flour and salt and mix to get a nice and smooth (but sticky) dough.
• 3. Divide the dough into 10 equal pieces and wrap the apricots (with the sugar cubes inside) with the dough and shape into balls/dumplings. If the dough is too sticky to handle, wet your hands - this will help a lot. Place the dumplings in the boiling water, reduce the heat so the water is only simmering and let the dumplings cook for about 20 minutes.
• 4. While the dumplings are cooking add the butter for the coating to a small frying pan and let melt. Add the bread crumbs and toast until golden brown in color. Be careful not to burn them - the wholemeal bread crumbs are darker than regular bread crumbs so they can look fine for a while and then suddenly be burned. Keep an eye on them. When the dumplings are ready, take them out of the water with a slotted spoon and let drain for a moment. Drop the dumplings in the toasted bread crumbs and roll around to coat completely. Serve the apricot dumplings with some of the remaining bread crumbs and dust with confectioners' sugar to your liking. The dumplings go well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream ;)

AUSTRIAN APRICOT DUMPLINGS: MARILLENKNODEL

Steps:

• Place the cheese in some cheesecloth or several layers of paper towels and let it drain for 5 to 10 minutes, pressing gently, to remove excess moisture.
• With a mixer, beat the cheese until smooth. Add the egg and continue to beat until incorporated. Sprinkle in the sugar and salt, and then gradually add the flour; continue to mix until a dough begins to form. Add the melted butter and mix just until the dough holds together when patted with your hands, it will look pretty wet. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for several hours or up to overnight, the dough will stiffen as it chills.
• Using a knife, make a slit down the seam of the apricot and carefully pull out the pit, keeping the fruit in tact. Stick a sugar cube inside the apricot where the pit was and squeeze the apricot back together to close it up tightly. The sugar cube melts inside the apricot when you cook it.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Lightly flour a rolling pin and work surface. Roll the dough out into a thin circle and cut out 12 circles with a 4-inch ring cutter. Place an apricot in the center of the dough and carefully bring the edges together to completely enclose the fruit and form a dumpling; make sure there are not any tears or holes in the dough. Working in batches, gently lower the dumplings into the simmering water; they should not be touching or crowded. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes; the dumplings will sink to the bottom of the pot and then rise to the surface. Carefully remove the dumplings from the water with a strainer.
• In a large nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the bread crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon, cook and stir for a couple of minutes until the bread crumbs are toasty and golden. Lay the bread crumbs out on a sheet pan or plate and roll the apricot dumplings in the browned crumbs to coat evenly.
• In a small bowl, mix the sour cream, brown sugar, and lemon juice together. Serve the apricot dumplings with the sweet-sour cream sauce on the side and a dusting of confectioners' sugar if desired.