With strawberry season right around the corner, it seems like a good time to talk about Czech strawberry dumplings. Until two years ago, whenever I heard the phrase “dessert dumpling,” I imagined a cinnamon- and sugar-dusted apple bundled into a buttery pastry and baked until golden brown. The thought of a whole strawberry boiled inside a casing of cheese-laced dough never occurred to me. Then I made several trips to the Czech Republic and learned how to make jahoda knedlíky or strawberry dumplings. After that I forgot all about those apple pie-like treats.

It’s been said that no traditional Czech dinner is complete without the inclusion of a dumpling or two. A staple since the Middle Ages, the plump, round dumpling can be either sweet or savory. The latter tends to use potatoes and potato flour as its base while the former features flour and/or breadcrumbs and a filling of whole, locally grown fruit such as strawberries, plums or cherries. Shaped into balls, both types of dumpling are boiled, drained, sliced in half with a thread and dressed with melted butter. Cooks also top sweet dumplings with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar or grated cheese and a dollop of whipped cream.

Sound easy? It is! To make the dessert dumpling dough, I just stir together quark, eggs, milk and semolina flour until a soft dough forms. From there I plop the dough onto a dusted work surface, pat or roll it out to about 1-inch in thickness and cut it into equal-sized squares. I wrap those squares around fresh, ripe strawberries. From there it’s just a few steps and minutes more until I have a batch of hot, delicious strawberry dumplings.

Since I like saucy dumplings, I usually put few strawberries, a tablespoon of confectioner’s sugar and a squeeze of lime juice in a blender and puree the ingredients together until I have a coulis or sauce. If I’m eating alone, I’ll just dunk bits of the dumpling into the sauce. If sharing with friends, I’ll drizzle the sauce over the sliced sweets. However, you should not feel compelled to make any toppings. Czech strawberry dumplings are delightful as is or with a smidgen of confectioner’s sugar or whipped cream.

CZECH STRAWBERRY DUMPLINGS

Makes 6 to 8 dumplings

500 grams (16 ounces or 2 cups) quark
2/3 cup milk
2 large eggs
500 grams (1 lb. 2 ounces or 2 2/3 cups) semolina flour, plus more if needed
Pinch salt
6 to 8 fresh, ripe, large strawberries, stems removed
Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting
Whipped cream, optional, for serving

Whisk together the quark, milk and eggs. In a separate bowl stir together the flour and salt.

Make a well in the center of the flour and pour the wet ingredients into it. Stir the wet and dry ingredients together until well-combined. If the dough seems too wet and sticky, add up to 1/3 cup flour until a soft, pliable dough is achieved.

Shape the dough into a ball and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.

While the dough is resting, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Spread a thin layer of semolina flour over a clean work surface.

Place the dough on the floured work surface. Using your hands or a rolling pin, flatten the dough until it’s roughly 1/2-inch thick. With a sharp knife cut out a square of dough; you want it to be large enough to cover a whole strawberry. Put the strawberry in the center of the square and fold the dough over the berry, shaping it into a smooth ball. Continue cutting, shaping and wrapping the dough until you have 6 to 8 dumplings.

Drop the dumplings into the boiling water and allow them to cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Once the dumplings have risen to the surface of the water, they are done.

Using a slotted spoon, remove each dumpling and place it on a plate or in a bowl. Allow each to cool slightly before cutting it in half and decorating with confectioner’s sugar and, if desired, whipped cream.