Hungarian epres túrógombóc are curd cheese, also known as farmers cheese, dumplings filled with strawberries. Small, wild strawberries work best, but larger strawberries can be sliced in half. Using dry curd cheese or farmers cheese is imperative, however, otherwise the dumpling dough will be too soft. The technique for making these dumplings is similar to the way matzoh balls are made.
If you can’t find dry curd cheese, you might want to make your own farmers cheese from scratch.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Dumpling batter must rest: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: About 15 Strawberry Dumplings
Ingredients:
- 1 pound dry curd or farmers cheese or ricotta
- 4 heaping tablespoons farina, semolina or grits
- 2 large eggs, separated
- Salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 15 small strawberries, washed and hulled
- 6 to 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5 tablespoons bread crumbs
- 5 tablespoons ground walnuts
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Confectioners’ sugar
- Fresh Strawberry Sauce Recipe
- Fresh strawberries for garnish, if desired
Preparation:
- In a medium bowl, place curd cheese and break up with a fork or push through a sieve or ricer. Add pinch salt, egg yolks, farina and zest of 1 lemon. Mix until well combined. In a separate small bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold into the curd cheese mixture, trying not to deflate the volume. Set aside and let rest 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, melt unsalted butter in a medium skillet and add bread crumbs and walnuts, toasting until golden brown. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons sugar. Set aside.
- Put a large saucepan of salted water on to boil. Moisten hands. Use a regular cookie scoop to portion equal portions of curd cheese mixture into the palm of the hand. Flatten and place a strawberry on top. Form mixture around the strawberry, adding more if necessary to completely seal the strawberry. Roll into a ball. Repeat with remainder.
- Using a slotted spoon, lower dumplings into boiling water. Stir once so dumplings don’t stick to the bottom. Once dumplings rise to the surface, cook another 3-5 minutes or until done (cut one open to test for doneness). Remove with a slotted spoon and immediately roll them in toasted bread crumb-nut mixture.
- Serve warm or at room temperature with Fresh Strawberry Sauce and confectioners’ sugar.
Source: easteuropeanfood.about.com (defunct site)
