Túrógombóc
cottage cheese dumplings
Light Hungarian curd-cheese dumplings rolled in toasted breadcrumbs and served with sour cream and sugar. Its name means “curd-cheese dumplings.”
About this dish
Light Hungarian curd-cheese dumplings rolled in toasted breadcrumbs and served with sour cream and sugar.” The recipe here chooses one named variation from that wider tradition; household fillings, shapes and serving styles may differ.
Recipe
Hungarian túrógombóc
- 500 g dry túró or farmer cheese
- 3 eggs
- 90 g fine semolina
- 30 g melted butter
- 30 g powdered sugar
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- pinch of salt
Coating
- 100 g breadcrumbs
- 40 g butter
- 20 g sugar
Serve
- 180 g sour cream
- 1
Use 500 g dry túró or farmer cheese; 3 eggs; 90 g fine semolina and the listed remaining ingredients. Mix dumpling ingredients thoroughly and refrigerate 2 hours so semolina hydrates. Rub out large cheese lumps and mix the semolina evenly through the egg mixture. Cover while chilling for the full rest so the semolina absorbs moisture; do not skip this and compensate with extra flour.
- 2
Form 12 balls with damp hands. Poach at a bare simmer 10-15 minutes until set and cooked inside. Make equal balls with damp hands and compact only enough to hold together. Keep the water just bubbling; a rolling boil can break them. Cut one to check a set, tender center with no raw semolina or liquid egg; check 71°C/160°F in the center.
- 3
Coating: 100 g breadcrumbs; 40 g butter; 20 g sugar. Toast breadcrumbs in coating butter; add sugar. Lift dumplings carefully, drain and roll in crumbs. Toast crumbs over moderate heat while stirring and stop at golden. Lift dumplings with a slotted spoon and let water drain before gently coating them.
- 4
Serve: 180 g sour cream. Serve with sour cream. Divide the measured sour cream among servings. Let the dumplings cool to a comfortable eating temperature; the center stays hot after the surface cools.
Note
Do not skip the resting time. A rolling boil can disintegrate the delicate cheese mixture.