Apricot Dumplings with Spiced Crumbs and Poppy Seed Cream

Ingredients

• 400 g starchy potatoes
• Salt
• 0.5 Vanilla bean
• 8 ripe apricots (marille)
• 80 g whole grain breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp ground hazelnuts (20 g)
• 1 tbsp ground pistachios (10 g)
• 100 g raw cane sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• 60 g liquid butter (6 tbsp)
• 100 g low‑fat quark
• 50 g cornstarch
• 50 g spelt flour type 630
• 50 g semolina
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp organic lemon zest
• 10 g ginger
• 0.5 cinnamon stick
• 200 g whipping cream
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar made from raw cane sugar (10 g)
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds (10 g)
• 1 tsp organic orange zest
• a handful mint leaves (5 g)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash, peel and boil the potatoes in salted water for about 30 minutes until tender. Drain, let them steam briefly while still warm, then mash with a potato masher. Spread the mashed potatoes on a large plate or tray, allow to steam off excess moisture, cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours.

2. 2.

   Meanwhile split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds; set aside the scraped pod. Wash, halve and pit the apricots.

3. 3.

   For the spiced crumbs, toast the breadcrumbs with hazelnuts and pistachios in a hot dry pan over medium heat for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp sugar and ground spices, then add 4 tbsp liquid butter and stir until melted. Remove immediately from the pan and let cool on a plate.

4. 4.

   Combine the cooled potato mash with quark, cornstarch, flour, semolina, egg, remaining liquid butter, half a tsp lemon zest, half of the vanilla seeds and a pinch of salt; knead into a smooth dough. Divide the dough into 8 portions, flatten slightly, place an apricot half in each center, wrap with dough and roll into smooth dumplings.

5. 5.

   In a large pot bring 3 l water, 1 tsp salt and remaining sugar to a boil. Slice ginger into rounds. Add the scraped vanilla pod, ginger slices and cinnamon stick to the broth. Drop the dumplings in and simmer just below boiling for about 15 minutes on medium heat. Skim off any foam with a slotted spoon, drain briefly on kitchen paper, then roll each dumpling in the spiced crumbs.

6. 6.

   Serve by whisking cream with powdered sugar until fluffy, stir in poppy seeds and remaining vanilla seeds. Spoon some of this cream onto dessert plates, sprinkle with lemon zest and orange peel, place one dumpling with crumbs on top. Wash mint leaves, pat dry and garnish the dumplings with them.