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Sweet things

Fruit dumplings taste best at home
From the chef | Search restaurants | Archives

July 16th, 2008 issue

JAN PŘEROVSKÝ/THE PRAGUE POST
Not the usual pub fare: Filled dough coated with sugar bursts with fresh flavors.
Most visitors to the Czech Republic unfortunately encounter the dull, dry, commercially made dumplings served with pork and cabbage in local pubs.
But for Czechs dumplings are a homemade favorite, whether prepared as a savory side dish or — as in this recipe — a sweet and filling dessert.
Because they must be rolled, filled, boiled and served immediately before serving, and because filled versions require fresh fruit, you rarely find authentic dumplings in restaurants. They simply put too much pressure on the kitchen staff.
So it’s no wonder tourists often leave perplexed by the adoration of boiled dough. If you try them at home, however, or at one of the few restaurants preparing dumplings in the traditional manner, you’ll understand why they remain a Czech staple.
Roman Frencl is chef at Cafe Savoy, located at Vítězná 5, Prague 5–Smíchov. Tel. 257 311 562

HOMEMADE FRUIT DUMPLINGS

Ingredients:
1kilogram fresh strawberries, apricots or plums (according to season)
400 grams flour
300 grams fine icing sugar
250 grams whole-fat cream cheese (“tvaroh”)
2 eggs
100 grams ground sugar
500 grams butter
Freshly grated ginger bread
Good quality dark chocolate
Sour cream

Preparation:

Mix the cream cheese in with the flour.
Add the eggs and icing sugar.
Work into a soft dough that doesn’t stick to the fingers.
Roll the dough into thin sheets and cut into squares.
Coat fruit with sugar and place one piece (pitted, if necessary) on each square.
Fold and roll the squares to form dumplings.
Drop dumplings carefully into boiling water.
When the dumplings rise to the surface, reduce the flame and simmer on low for another eight minutes.
While boiling dumplings, melt butter in a pan.
Pour melted butter over finished dumplings and sprinkle with sugar.
For an unexpected twist serve the dumplings with some grated ginger bread, melted dark chocolate and sour cream on the side.


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