Break through the toasted hazelnut crumbs and a little pool of soft chocolate-hazelnut nougat appears in the middle. The warm pears bring just enough lemon and cardamom to balance each rich bite.
The trick to sealing the dumplings
Quark dumplings are a fixture of Viennese dessert cooking. Use thick plain quark and give the semolina time to absorb moisture before shaping. In the US, look for a firm chocolate-hazelnut gianduja bar for the center. Chilled cubes are easier to wrap, and keeping the water at a gentle simmer helps the seams stay closed.
Ingredients
Dumplings
At a glance
Chocolate Hazelnut Quark Dumplings with Warm Pear Compote
- Prep time
- 25 min
- Cook time
- 15 min
- Total time
- 1 hr 10 min
- Yield
- 8 dumplings
Total time includes 30 min of additional time. See the instructions for details.
Ingredients
| Amount | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 250 g | thick plain low-fat quark (about 9 oz), any separated whey poured off |
| 1 | large egg (about 50 g without shell) |
| 20 g | unsalted butter (about 1½ tbsp), softened |
| 45 g | fine wheat semolina (about ¼ cup) |
| 35 g | all-purpose flour (about ¼ cup plus 1 tsp) |
| 1 pinch | fine salt |
| 80 g | firm chocolate-hazelnut gianduja (about 3 oz) |
Pear compote
| Amount | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 400 g | pears (about 14 oz), weighed peeled and cored |
| 100 ml | water (scant ½ cup) |
| 20 g | granulated sugar (about 1½ tbsp) |
| 15 ml | lemon juice (1 tbsp) |
| 2 | green cardamom pods, lightly crushed |
Hazelnut crumbs
| Amount | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 25 g | unsalted butter (about 1¾ tbsp) |
| 45 g | fine plain breadcrumbs (scant ½ cup) |
| 25 g | hazelnuts (about 3 tbsp), finely chopped |
Instructions
- Stir together the quark, egg and softened butter. Mix in the semolina, flour and salt. Cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes. Cut the gianduja into eight equal cubes and refrigerate them too.
- Dice the pears into roughly ½-inch pieces. Bring the water, sugar, lemon juice and cardamom to a boil. Add the pears and simmer uncovered for 8–12 minutes, until tender but still holding their shape. Remove the cardamom and taste the compote. Add another squeeze of lemon if the pears are particularly sweet.
- With lightly damp hands, divide the dough into eight portions. Flatten each piece, put a cold gianduja cube in the middle and pinch the dough firmly around it. Roll each dumpling gently between your palms.
- Bring water to a boil in a wide pot, then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Lower the dumplings into the water and poach for 12–14 minutes. Cut one open to check for doneness. The dough should be set all the way to the center, with no raw, sticky layer.
- While the dumplings poach, melt the butter in a skillet. Add the breadcrumbs and hazelnuts and toast over medium heat, stirring, for 4–5 minutes until golden.
- Lift the dumplings out with a slotted spoon, drain briefly and roll them in the crumbs. Serve two dumplings per plate with warm pear compote.
Nutrition
Approximate per serving (2 dumplings with compote): 480 kcal, 16 g protein, 58 g carbohydrates, 21 g fat. Values vary with ingredients and portion size.
Contains milk, egg, wheat and hazelnuts. You can make the compote a day ahead, refrigerate it covered and gently reheat it before serving.
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