Zwetschgenknödel

These dumplings are very famous in Germany and Austria and made with a special kind of Plum called Zwetschge . The dough is made with Quark which makes it soft and fluffy. I deliberately leave the stones in the plums. This way, the fruit remains whole and the juice does not come out during the molding or cooking, but only after cutting apart on the plate. (if it bothers you, or you have small children at the table, you can also remove them before) They are rolled in buttery roasted breadcrumbs. Vanilla Ice Cream is a perfect companion for the warm Knödel and its sweet crumbs.

Zwetschgenknödel
or Sweet Plum Knoedel

for 10 dumplings

ingredients

250g Quark (curd cheese, Petit Suisse, )
50g butter, room temperature
1 egg
200g flour
a good pinch of salt
10 plums

100g breadcrumbs
40g sugar
80g butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon

as desired: vanilla ice cream

steps

Wash plums. Remove stems, but do not remove the stone.
Put the curd cheese in a cloth and drain well.

Mix curd cheese, 50g soft butter, 1 egg, 200g flour and a pinch of salt in a bowl and knead into a smooth dough. Let rest for about an hour.

Moisten your hands with water (this way the dough does not stick too much) and flatten a small portion of dough on the palm of your hand. Place a plum on top and close the dough around the plum and press firmly to make a dumpling.
Put on a floured plate. Cover all plums with dough this way.

Tip: If the dumplings are not round enough, you can put them in the freezer for a few minutes. Then they can be shaped into perfect dumplings before being placed in the water.
You can also freeze the dumplings completely and finish them at a later time.

Bring a big pot of water to the boil and add a bit of salt. The water should only simmer slightly. Add plum dumplings and leave to cook for 10 minutes.
Remove with a skimmer and drain well.

Put butter, breadcrumbs and sugar in a pan and roast while constantly stirring until the crumbs are golden brown.

Roll the dumplings in the crumbs. Serve with crumbs and, if you like, vanilla ice cream.