Cheese dumplings with plums

Preparation time: 1 hour

Number of servings: minimum 12 large dumplings.

In 100 g of dumplings: Energy value 163 kcal Carbohydrates 24 g - including sugars 6 g Protein 10 g Fat 3 g Diet:

low-fat, vegetarian, high-protein

• semi-fat cottage cheese 400 g
• wheat cake flour 200 g
• vanilla pudding without sugar 1 sachet - approx. 40 g
• 2 medium-sized eggs
• vanilla sugar 1 sachet - 16 g
• a large pinch of salt
• small or medium plums up to 300 g

Cottage cheese dumplings with plums

Before you start preparing the dumplings, I recommend reading the entire recipe first to prepare well in advance for the next steps.

Prepare 400g of semi-fat cottage cheese. Firm cottage cheese from a block or from a triangle wrapped in paper is best for the dumplings. Avoid thick, creamy cottage cheeses, or cottage cheese from a bucket, as they may have a runny consistency.

You can grind the cottage cheese in a meat grinder using the fine holes. If it's soft, just mash it very thoroughly with a fork or rub it between gloved hands. If the cottage cheese is very firm, lumpy, or thin, it's worth grinding it through the grinder at least once. The most important thing is that it's crumbly/grated.

In a bowl with the cheese, add 200g of cake flour or all-purpose flour and 1 sachet of sugar-free vanilla, cream, or banana pudding mix. The sachet should weigh about 40g. Crack in 2 medium-sized eggs, a pinch of salt, and 1 small sachet of vanilla sugar, weighing about 16g.

Tip: You can replace the pudding in the bag with 40g of potato starch, or potato flour, but the cake won't have the added vanilla or cream flavor. This isn't a problem, though. You can also replace the 16g of vanilla sugar with real vanilla sugar or 15-20g of regular caster sugar. You can also omit the sugar entirely, as it's not necessary for making the dumplings.

All you need to do is combine all the ingredients. It's best and easiest to do this with disposable food gloves, such as latex. Knead and mix the dough until it becomes uniform and smooth. If you follow the given ingredient proportions, the cheesecake should be firm, yet perfectly pliable and non-sticky. If you use too runny a cheesecake or too large eggs, you can add a little more flour as a last resort.

The amount of plums needed for this portion of dumplings may vary depending on their size. Prepare approximately 300g of plums, but you can use slightly more or less. It's worth preparing more, though, as you can always eat the excess.

My plums were different sizes. Some were slightly smaller, others medium-sized. Wash and dry them thoroughly, then cut a slit in the top where the stem used to be. Remove the pits. The plums are now ready to be made into dumplings.

Tip: Plums can be successfully replaced with firm, ripe, medium-sized, fresh strawberries.

Break off pieces of cheese dough for the dumplings. I recommend a simple rule: use the same amount of dough as the plum. Form a ball of dough the same size as the plum, and you'll end up with dumplings with a fairly thin layer of dough.

If you want to make dumplings with dough as thick as mine, form a ball of cheese dough half the size of a plum. This means 1 portion of plum for 1.5 portions of dough. Break off pieces of dough, form them into appropriately sized balls, and then flatten each ball. Place a plum in the center, wrap it tightly in the dough, bring the edges together, and smooth the surface. Finally, shape the dough into a uniform ball and place it on a plate. Prepare all the dumplings this way.

Bring water to a boil in a wide pot. Add a level teaspoon of salt as soon as the water begins to boil. Salting the water is not necessary.

Transfer the prepared dumplings to a strainer and immerse them in gently boiling water. After a moment, gently and carefully stir the dumplings. Once the dumplings float to the surface, wait another 4-5 minutes. Remove all the dumplings, drain off excess water, and place them on a wide plate or salad bowl. Cook all the cheese and plum dumplings in this manner.

Tips: Don't cook all the dumplings at once, as they'll stick together and the water will stop boiling. Large dumplings may not float to the surface quickly. If they're slightly stuck to the bottom, gently peel them off and wait patiently for them to float. If they're not being eaten immediately after cooking, add a little oil to them and mix them carefully. They'll prevent them from sticking together.

I recommend serving the dumplings with breadcrumbs. Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pan (lower than medium heat). Pour 60 grams of good-quality breadcrumbs into the pan. Toast the breadcrumbs for a few minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until they darken slightly. Next, add 60 grams of butter and a tablespoon of regular or brown sugar to the pan. Stir immediately until the butter melts and combines with the breadcrumbs.

Drizzle the hot breadcrumbs over the dumplings, then top them with a dollop of light cream or yogurt. Cinnamon also goes well with the cottage cheese and plum dumplings.

Enjoy your meal.