Marillen Knödel - Apricot Dumplings

An ode to dumplings and apricots, a special treat

These dumplings are delicious leftovers from the old Austrian-Hungarian Empire, Bohemia and Moravia (today’s Czech Republic).  In Austria, apricots are called Marillen, hence the name. The savory curd dough is stuffed with an apricot, cooked and then rolled in breadcrumbs that are roasted in butter. They can be a stand-alone meal or a dessert.

I make apricot dumplings once or twice every year when apricots are in season. They are a culinary dumpling delight. Think of a Chinese (or any other dumpling) filled with shrimp or meat and now take away the savory stuffing and add apricots instead. What you will get is a taste like no other dish, a sensation of flavors that makes you want more and more. I’ve been wanting to post this recipe for a couple of years. This year, I made them for dessert after a light meal. I kept some dough for the following day so that I could take some photos. I was in heaven, eating them all day long. Marillen Knödel (apricot dumplings) are said to be the favorite dessert of the Austrian composer, Gustav Mahler. I enjoy his music and I enjoy the dumplings.

There are different kinds of dough. I watched some Austrian “youtube” videos about all the various kinds. Boy, do I have a difficult time understanding the Austrian-German dialect. I decided to use a recipe from ​Delicious Days and the Wednesday Chef. To make these dumplings, you have to have quark, a German soft cheese made from soured milk. Wikipedia explains it quite well. For Santa Cruz locals, you can find quark at Shopper’s Corner.  Sometimes I buy mine in Oakdale, a Central Valley town in California. This is a town you will drive through if you go to Yosemite, a great spot to stop for a break for kids and dogs and picnics. They have the best aged cumin gouda cheese ever—and they have quark. They sell their cheeses at quite a few northern California farmer’s markets.Check their website here. 
​Quark freezes well. Almost every morning, I have toast with quark and jam. Years ago, I bought a yogurt maker that also makes quark . My machine is a Salton Quark Maker . It turns buttermilk into quark.  For this recipe, you have to drain the quark in a fine sieve to turn it into Austrian Tropfen, a firmer version of quark.

Enough of quark and back to the dumplings. I recommend you make these if you like to experiment with cooking. They are so different from the food I usually eat. Dumplings can be tricky, but with a little bit of practice, you will be richly rewarded.

We finished reading The Goldfinch for our book club. All of us agreed that the writing was superb and the story was interesting. Art was woven throughout the story. Everybody in the bookclub liked some part of the book.  My friend, Virginia, says that the book is a great escape from awkward and boring situations, spiced heavily with decadence, but quite philosophical in the end. My girlfriend, Marie, had recommended it, which is no surprise since she is an accomplished watercolor artist herself. Here is her website. We chose two books for our next read, one of them being Elizabeth Huxley’s The Flame Trees of Thika and Zero K  by Don DeLillo. This will give me something to read on my upcoming flight to Germany. I am also reading the last of the four books of the Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante.

While making the second batch of dumplings, I found a trick on youtube on how to remove the apricot pit. Gently press a wooden spoon lengthwise through the apricot, beginning where the stem of the apricot was (the little black dot) and push the pit out the other side. If this scares you, cut them in half leaving them intact. The best apricots for the dumplings are small to medium sized. Make sure the fruit is covered tightly with the dough and has no creases. Form them with your hands. If you want them sweeter, sprinkle them with powdered sugar. I kept  some of the dough covered overnight in the fridge. I think it didn't make that much difference. However, the dumplings should be eaten as soon as they are made. Some recipes call for a sugar cube, which I used for two of them. I personally prefer Turbinado raw cane sugar, but I think brown sugar will also be fine

Print Recipe

Ingredients

(makes 6 to 8 dumplings depending on the size of the apricots)

½ pound quark
1 tsp lemon zest
6-8 apricots
6 sugar cubes or raw cane sugar 
3/4 cup (75g) semolina flour
2 TBS (30g) soft butter
1 egg yolk at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
a scant ½ cup (50g) of all-purpose flour (plus more for forming)

For the breadcrumb coating:
½ cup of fine breadcrumbs
4 TBS butter 
powdered sugar or sugar mixed with cinnamon (optional)

Directions
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In a fine mesh sieve, drain the quark for an hour. Wash and dry the apricots. Remove the pits with a wooden spoon or cut them along their seams halfway. I prefer the wooden spoon method.
 Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add ½ tsp salt.
In a large bowl, cream together the soft butter and egg yolk, add the strained quark, vanilla extract, semolina, salt, lemon zest and mix well. When the dough is well mixed and fluffy, fold in the flour. Do not over mix.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface and with flour-covered hands, form a log. Cut the log into 6-8 pieces. I covered three leftover pieces and put them in the refrigerator to use the following day. Some of the recipes recommend to rest the dough, but I didn't taste any difference. 
 Add the sugar to the apricot where the pit was. With your floured hands, form a round disk with each piece. Take the disk into your hands and add an apricot in the center, then cover the apricot completely with the dough making sure all the creases are sealed when forming them into dumplings. 
Gently slip the dumplings into the boiling salted water, reduce the heat and simmer them at low heat for 12 -14 minutes. Stir the apricots gently to make sure none of them get stuck at the bottom of the pot. They will stick if you don't stir them in the beginning. The dumplings will rise to the top.
It is a little tricky to know when the apricots are done to your taste. I don't like mine mushy, but I don't like them raw. Some cooks will test their apricots by sticking a needle into them . I did not do that. 
In the meantime, melt the butter in a frying pan, add the breadcrumbs and toast them for several minutes. Remove the dumplings with a skimmer and roll them in the breadcrumbs. Repeat with the rest of the dumplings. Dust the dumplings with powdered sugar if you wish to or a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Serve them warm. They taste the best when they are eaten right away. ​
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Recipe by Delicious Days and The Wednesday Chef
adapted by ©Sunnycovechef
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