Another weekend spent learning my mom's baking techniques... this time we made one of my most favorite Czech recipes from childhood called Kynute Knedliky- a traditional sweet treat that we make as a main course, since it's so much work! Growing up, this was the dinner I would look forward to most and as we made these recently, I found out that I looked forward to having them just as much! Some thing's never change...
Kynute Knedliky (Raised Dumplings) are wrapped pieces of fruit (such as peaches, pears, plums, apricots) in a yeast-dough. The dumplings are then steamed and topped with melted butter and either sweetened cocoa, a cottage cheese mix, or a fruit sauce. There are quite a few steps involved in making Kynute Knedliky, which is why it's known as a special occasion type of meal. Nevertheless, it is completely worth it and there is nothing like biting into a freshly steamed peach dumpling topped with warm butter and sweet cocoa- definitely my favorite combination.
Kynute Knedliky*2 cups all-purpose flour
*3/4 cups skim milk (lukewarm)
*4 tablespoons sugar
*1 self-rising yeast packet
*1 egg
*1 teaspoon salt
*2 tablespoons vegetable oil
*16 pieces of halved fruit of your choice
In a small bowl, pour yeast packet into lukewarm milk and mix well. Add in sugar and 2 tablespoons of the flour and mix. Cover bowl and place in a 150-degree heated oven for about 10 minutes. Mixture should begin to bubble. In a Kitchen Aid, mix remaining flour, egg, salt, and oil. Now add the bubbly mixture and mix until dough forms. Cover dough and place back into the heated oven for 1 hour, until dough rises and doubles in size.
Once dough has risen, cut off tablespoon-sized portions of dough. Spread each dough ball out, place fruit filling of choice, wrap fruit with dough, and pinch all sides to seal completely. Steam prepared dumplings for about 15 to 20 minutes. Top with melted butter and sweetened cocoa powder, cottage cheese mixture (mix cottage cheese with rum, raisins, and lemon rind) or a sweetened fruit sauce of your choice. Enjoy!
19 comments:
These sound delicious! Especially with the cottage cheese! In the Netherlands it is also usual to eat sweet stuff as a sweet main dish (sometimes), usually pancakes.
What a very unique post Dianka, and it reminded me of a dish in Italy called canederli otherwise known as gnocchi made with stale bread. The interesting thing is that in the Friuli region of Italy that borders on Austria and Slovenia, I've heard that cooks add dried fruit to their canederli.
As per your question on that surinam cherry pie, I don't think there's any fruit that equals surinam, but I don't see why you couldn't substitute other cherries, whether sweet or tart.
Oh my god. I was just overflown with childhood memories. My czech mother always used to make me plum dumplings when I was little. As a topping we had melted butter and a mixture of sugar and ground poppy seeds. My grandmother was more for apricot dumplings served with sour cream. Pretty great, too.
Thanks, for this nice memory!
Looks great! I think I'd go with some sorta rum/fruit sauce on mine :D
Love to get cultural insights in cuisines I do not know so well! Thank you! I remember my visits to Praha and eating dumplings I loved!! I need thisd recipe too! ;-)
Oh, how I loved these in Prague! Especially merunkové knedlíky. Thanks for the recipe Dianka, I never knew how to make them!
Linda: Oh I love Swedish pancakes with the Lingonberry sauce.
Rowena:Interesting, I've never heard of Canederli. I would love to see a recipe for that =) And cherries it is!
Kathi: I love plum dumplings as well, especially with poppy seeds. That is so great that your mother used to make them!
Wheresmymind: Well rum is the number one Czech ingredient in baking so by all means!
Bea: You are most welcome! I'm so glad you were able to try some in Praha.
Chili&Vanilla: Oh I love Merunkove too. The combinations are endless! The best is using the most seasonal fruit of course. PS: How do you get the little accents on the Czech words? I'm so jealous!
Dianka
Since you are a lover of food and travel and possibly an expert on Prague, would you mind if I bothered you for a recommendation for a nice, fun restaurant in Prague serving good czech food (but with some vegetarian options if possible). We are a group of 12 going from San Francisco to Prague for a celebration (we decided we wanted to see Prague and have our celebration there even though what we are celebrating has nothing to do with Prague). We are already doing something formal on one night at a major hotel, so we are looking for something more casual and fun at a local eatery (but not TOO casual). Just nice but light-hearted. For instance, I found a place called the Blue Duck that served Czech food but it looked too "serious".
It could even be an upscale ale-house type of venue, if you think the food will be good.
Thanks and hope you don't mind this somewhat random request.
I would enjoy eating these!
Paz
DEAR ME ! You make me hungry. Ooohhh, GERMKNÖDEL !! Of course they are also part of our very own cuisine, and whoever can make them perfecty (read: fluffy dumpling and not rubber balls) is a Queen of the Kitchen (in this case I cannot imagine and therefore exclude male cooks ;-) My Mom is such a Queen. Whenever she makes Germknödel (usually on very special requests ;-) it's simply a feast. We do not wrap any fruit in them (for fruit dumplings we use potatoe or curd dough or "Brandteig" - a sort of dough also used for making cream puffs) but we use Powidl (thick prune jam) in them and serve them with melted butter and dusted with ground poppyseed and icing sugar. DIVINE ! And very Bohemian.... the best things of the Austrian cuisine come from THERE, no doubt ! Looking forward to the next treat you will have in store for us...
Hi Dianka,
I like your idea of dessert for dinner! They look great and I bet they're delicious too!!
Bruno
I love it!
Sorry Dianka my bloglines account wasn't picking up your new post so I missed this! Glad I decided to visit ans see this post.
The dumplings are adorable and I'm sure delicious!
An Austrian boyfriend once made a dumpling exactly like these for me some years ago. Maybe they have another name in Austria....and no I din't marry him.
I cannot wait to try this recipe. Lovely cultural insight; once more!! Yeah, dumplings!
THANK YOU DIANKA!!!! THANK YOU FOR THE BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES OF MY GRANDMOTHER! WHEN I SAW THE PICTURE OF THE FRUIT DUMPLINGS I CRIED, TEARS OF HAPPINESS!! THE MEMORIES ALL RUSHED IN....MY GRANDMOTHERS HOUSE AND THE WONDERFUL SMELLS OF ALL THE CZECH FOOD SHE WOULD COOK. YUMMMM
WE ARE GOING TO SURPRISE MY FAMILY AND MAKE THESE FOR PART OF OUR CHRISTMAS DINNER!!
I CANT WAIT TO EXPLORE MORE OF YOUR RECIPES.
THANK YOU, SINCERELY, DONNA
Oh gosh! I was just feeling homesick for Czech foods and I remembered how my grandma made me these and I'm going to try your recipe right away with the plums I have in my kitchen! Thank you so much!! :)
When I red Kathi's comment about the plum dumplings, I just had to write this....
My mom passed away 2 years ago, and I regret that I did not get her recipe for the plum (prune) dumplings she made when I was a child. We have looked through her cookbooks and cannot find it anywhere. She was of Slavic origin and my dad was of Austrian origin, both of which I know make a variation of this delicious treat. I have searched the internet and Kathi's comment contains the exact method my mom used. Kathi, if you read this, please contact me and tell me if you can how your mom made her dumpings. (mcpurple@hotmail.com)
Hi Dianka,
I have tried to contact you couple of times but did not have much luck:(
Anyhow, I love your recipe! I am Czech too and I have a blog for Czechs living abroad (especially the US) and I thought you would might like it. Let me know what you think!
Thanks !
Tanja
Oh, my have you just made my husband a happy man! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! My husband was a missionary in the Czech Republic for 2 years and loves these dumplings. I tried making them from my Czech cookbook but it said to boil them instead of steaming them...steaming works much better! Hooray! Thanks again, it was perfect.
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