Farmer’s Cheese Dumplings with Gingerbread Sauce

Czech name: Tvarohové knedlíky s perníkovou omáčkou

Written by Katerina Kukuczkova

Once upon a time gingerbread was prepared according to secret, carefully-guarded recipes. Usually, these recipes were very complicated, and they called for expensive spices that were imported from abroad. With our recipe, you will not have any problems. Once you get into it, you will find that it is actually quite simple but very tasty! This is a specialty from the Karlovy Vary Region.

For more information about the Karlovy Vary Region, from which this recipe comes, click here.

Ingredients

Dumplings
3/4 lb French bread or white bread roll
2 cups farmer’s cheese (or Queso Fresco)
1/3 cup milk
3 Tbs powdered sugar (+ 1 Tbs to dust)
1 egg
1 cup Wondra instant flour
1 Tbs plain breadcrumbs
salt to taste

Gingerbread sauce
1/2 cup plum jam
1/2 cup water
2/3 cup gingerbread
1-2 Tbs dark rum
3 Tbs raisins
3 Tbs walnut kernels

Instructions

Dumplings
Press the farmer’s cheese (or Queso Fresco) through a soft strainer, if there is a lot of water. Then mix it with the egg, flour, breadcrumbs, milk, sugar, and salt to make a smooth dough. Next, cut the French bread or white bread roll into small cubes and add to the smooth dough. Knead the dough and let it cool for at least one hour. Make dumplings from the dough and cook them in salted water for 6-8 minutes. Remove the cooked dumplings from the water and drain them.

Sauce
Cook the plum jam in water and add grated gingerbread. Add dark rum, raisins and walnuts. Continue cooking for a while.

Serving
Pour the gingerbread sauce onto a plate and then add dumplings to it. Dust the dumplings with sugar and grated gingerbread or farmer’s cheese.