Zwetschgenknödel

Dough: 350 g well-drained quark; 220 g all-purpose flour; 2 eggs; plus the remaining ingredients listed for this component. Mix dough ingredients briefly; rest covered in the refrigerator 30 minutes. Use drained quark and mix only until the dough is even and pliable. Cover during chilling; do not work it like bread dough.

Put a sugar cube inside each plum. Divide dough into 12 and wrap around fruit, sealing into smooth balls. Stone the plums without separating the halves completely. Close around a sugar cube, then bring an even dough layer around each fruit. Pinch fully shut and smooth cracks with lightly floured fingers.

Poach gently 14-18 minutes, allowing at least 4 minutes after floating and checking a sample shell is cooked. Lower individually into a roomy pot, keeping a quiet bubble. Floating begins the last part of cooking; test one for a tender shell right through to the fruit. Lift promptly rather than letting the dumplings soak.

Coating: 100 g breadcrumbs; 60 g butter; 25 g sugar. Brown breadcrumbs in coating butter, mix in sugar and roll drained dumplings in them. Stir the crumbs over moderate heat and stop at golden. Fold dumplings gently through them and let the plum centers cool a little before biting.