Sweet dark plums are wrapped in a potato dough, and boiled before rolling in sweetened toasted bread crumbs. My Austrian grandmother made these delicious dessert dumplings for us every fall. These take some time to make, but to me, they're well worth the
INGREDIENTS (for 1 servings):
- 4 large russet potatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter, softened
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 cup farina
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, or as needed
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- 12 Italian prune plums
- 12 cubes white sugar
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- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 cup dry bread crumbs
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- additional melted butter and sugar for garnish (optional)
PREPARATION:
Scrub potatoes, and place them into a large pot with enough water to cover. bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 40 minutes. Drain, and cool. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel, and press through a ricer into a large bowl. Set aside to cool. This part of the process can be done as much as one day in advance.
In a large bowl, mix together the prepared potatoes, salt, egg, and 1 tablespoon of butter until well blended. Gradually stir in the farina, and then the flour. If dough is still wet, more flour can be mixed in. Turn dough out onto a floured surface, and knead until smooth, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Split open each plum where it cracks, and remove the pit. Replace each pit with a sugar cube, and close.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into twelve 3 inch squares. Place one plum into each square, and bring the corners around to the top. Pinch together all of the seams to seal.
Bring a large pot of water to a slow boil. Place about 4 dumplings into the water at a time. Once they float to the surface, continue to cook them for about 5 more minutes. Transfer cooked dumplings to a covered bowl, and keep warm.
Melt the remaining 1/2 cup of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in bread crumbs, and 1/4 cup of sugar. Continue to cook and stir until browned. Remove the bread crumbs to a plate, and roll warm dumplings in the mixture until entirely coated. To serve, place a dumpling or two on a plate, sprinkle with a little sugar and a little extra melted butter, if desired.