Grandma's plum dumplings

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g flour
• 250 g quark
• 50 g butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pinch(s) of baking powder
• 40 plums, approximately, depending on the thickness of the dough
• 40 sugar cubes, possibly or
• Almond(s), sweet, possibly or
• Walnuts, green, possibly
• salt water

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Wash the plums and let them drain on a tea towel. Bring a large pot of water with a little salt to the boil. Mix the quark with the butter, eggs, a pinch of salt, and vanilla sugar. Add the flour and baking powder and mix with a dough hook (it will then become crumbly). Then tip the dough out onto a clean work surface and continue kneading by hand until all the flour is absorbed and the dough forms a nice, smooth ball. Roll out with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 3–5 mm. I don’t use any flour, as this makes it easier to embed the plums later. Now, with a knife, cut out approximately 5 x 5 cm squares and wrap a plum in each of these dough patches, press the edges together, and roll into the smoothest dumpling possible with your hands. With a stone and reasonably dry plums, even my eight-year-old son can do it. The gourmet version is made with pitted plums, although the stone can be replaced with a small sugar cube, a sweet almond, or even a green walnut, depending on your taste. Shaping the dumplings is a bit more difficult because of the less substantial fruit and the resulting juice. Once all the dumplings are formed, the water should be slowly boiling, and the dumplings are added with a slotted spoon. They will sink to the bottom. Stir occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot. When they float to the top, let them sit for another 5-10 minutes, then remove them with a slotted spoon. We always serve them split open (so you don’t burn your mouth on the hot plums) with melted butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Tip: You can also postpone cooking and freeze the dumplings first. This way, you can enjoy this delicacy even outside of plum season, and have it on the table in no time. Simply add the frozen plum dumplings to lukewarm water with a little salt (again, stir occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot). Once it boils, let it simmer for a short while, and you’re done.