Marillenknödel

Dough: 300 g well-drained quark; 200 g all-purpose flour; 50 g softened butter; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Mix dough ingredients briefly until combined; chill covered 30 minutes. Use well-drained quark so the dough is soft but shapeable. Mix only until even, not with prolonged kneading. Cover during chilling.

Slit apricots, remove stones and replace each with a sugar cube. Divide dough into 10, flatten and wrap fully around fruit. Slit rather than halve each apricot, take out the stone and close around the cube. Bring an even layer of dough around it, pinch fully shut and smooth any crack.

Poach in gently simmering water 15-18 minutes, until cooked through. Drain. Use a roomy pot and lower individually. Keep a quiet bubble so fruit shells do not split. Test a shell for tenderness through to the fruit; lift promptly when cooked.

Coating: 70 g butter; 100 g breadcrumbs; 25 g sugar; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Toast breadcrumbs in coating butter, stir in sugar and cinnamon and roll dumplings in the crumbs. Stir crumbs over moderate heat until golden and remove from heat before sugar and cinnamon burn. Roll gently to coat and let the hot apricot center cool slightly before eating.