These dumplings can be made with any firm, flavorful stone fruit; apricots are particularly excellent, as well as sour cherries. This traditional dish is typically served as a sweet main course, but if you serve only 2 or 3 dumplings per person, it makes for a light and delicious dessert. The dumpings freeze well; steam them for 15 minutes before serving.
Ingredients:
1/2 lb fromage blanc, plus approx. 1/4 lb fromage blanc OR creme fraiche (or a mixture) for serving
1/2 lb Wondra flour plus a bit more for fine-tuning
(NOTE: Do not use all-purpose flour; Wondra should be available in better supermarkets, either in a blue tube or in a box; you can also use about 1/2 all-purpose flour and 1/2 farina)
1 egg
pinch salt
approx. 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
about 6 firm but not hard Italian plums (the elongated kind)
powdered sugar for serving
1/2 stick butter, browned, for serving
Preparation:
Mix all ingredients until combined and make dough. Add additional flour as needed, the resulting dough should be moderately stiff and just a little bit sticky. Let dough rest in the fridge for 20 minutes or more.
Put a big pot of water on the boil. Mix the granulated sugar with the cinnamon and place in a small bowl. Wash the plums and halve them, removing pits. Now take the dough out of the fridge and roll out to a rectangle about 1/4" thick (it's elastic). With a pizza cutter or pastry wheel cut the dough into approx. 2" squares. Take each plum half, dip the pit side in the cinnamon sugar, and place on the dough square. (If the plums are ripe and sweet, skip this step altogether.) Pinch the four corners together and roll the dumpling between your palms a few times until the fruit is enclosed completely; make sure there are no holes or very thin, transparent spots. (Don't obsess about perfect appearance, though.)
Put the dumplings in boiling water and cook for approximately 6-7 minutes; after they rise to the surface, give them another two minutes or so; they will have expanded slightly and look white and opaque, rather than yellowish. Remove the dumplings with a slotted spoon, being careful to drain them properly, and arrange them on plates. Top each dumpling with a small mound of powdered sugar (note there is almost no sugar in the recipe itself); pour on a teaspoonful or so of the browned, melted butter; sprinkle with cinnamon if desired, and place a dollop of fromage blanc/creme fraiche on the side.
Enjoy while still hot.