Blackberry dumplings

I remember growing up, my Great Aunt making blackberry dumplings in the summer. I've read recipes on the net and get the jest of it.  My question(s)would be to strain or not to strain the berries(after simmering)and does anyone here make these??

Thanks!

My choice would be not to strain, because then the berries would be mush and your dumplings would be swimming in blackberry puree or juice. The texture of the berries adds to the dish, I would think. I've heard of this dish, but never made it or had it. I love blackberries a lot, so I would try this old fashioned dessert.

My grandmother use to make them every year after picking wildberries.

We make them here occasionally, don't strain, no point in it, causes dumplings to lose body.

One last question, drop or roll out the dumplings??

We used to love the Czech Fruit Dumplings my grandmother and mother made. The favorite fruit was the Apricot and the Plum & Cherry. I can see why after thinking of the berry 'smush'. I remember them rolling out the dough and cutting to fit around the fruit. Sort of like a fruit Won-Ton or Raveoli (boiled not fried! Sorry I don't have a family recipe, but I do have some Czech cookbooks with examples that I have not personally tried.

Dear Mayor Al -

Gumboats, or Gumboz [Gumboaz? Czech/Hungarian, usually used as a dessert. My grandmother did, for her clients. We ate them as often possible, as a full meal during a short, late summer - Labor Day weekend! - season in the Northeast.]

Anyway, freestone [here in CA, Santa Rosa] plums, filled with cinnamon sugar. The dough includes potatoes. The process is steam-filled, with breadcrumb goodness to finish. But soooo delicious. Does this sound familiar? In SoCal, we rarely see freestone plums in season anymore. I would suffer the process to make them again.

Totillie,
  Welcome to Roadfood. For many years (1980-2000) my brother lived in the Valley, not too far from you. He was in the hills above the 118, off Reseda Blvd. I recall him taking us to a BBQ place in or near 1000 Oakes.

Thanks for the memory jog about the dumplings. I wish I could remember the Czech word my Mom used for them. It wasn't the 'gumboz' you mentioned. I'll look in the cookbooks she left me to see if I can find it.

We have two Santa Rosa Plum trees in our little orchard. They do ok here in Southern Indiana, but the Ozark Premier (another specie of Blue-Free-stone Plum) really puts out the fruit for us. We brought back two 'sucker shoots' of Plucots from our SoCal orchard, and this year they are finally giving us some Plucots !

Yeah, melted butter and the cinnamon and sugar mix was the topping of choice and we would devour them faster than Mom could get them out of the water/steam. I wasn't much into the exotic cheese toppings as a kid, but might enjoy them now.
 
Here is a recipe for Knedliky, The Czech Fruit Dumpling. We liked the Apricot filling best of all!
 
Fruit Dumplings (Svestkove Knedliky)
2 cups flour
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
Mix egg with butter and milk. Add salt. Sift flour on a board and add first mixture, kneading until smooth. Cut dough into small pieces and wrap evenly around the fruit (make sure to pre-pit your fruit!). Seal well all around. Drop dumplings in a large pan of boiling salted water and cook for about 8 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove from water immediately, sprinkle with melted butter and keep in a colander over hot water until ready to serve. Arrange on a platter, sprinkle with some more melted butter and sugar. Crumbled pot cheese, ground poppy seed or bread crumbs fried in butter can be used for topping.
 

Oh, my - this recipe is close! George Lang, in his 'Cuisine of Hungary' has a recipe that is very close to what Grandma, Ma, and me made - he calls it Szatmar. But...farina was added to our potato dough. and definitely breadcrumbs -  but sugared -  to finish. Leftover dough was boiled and rolled in the sugared crumbs as 'worms.' The best part of the meal. [not really]. It is interesting that in your version, the pit indentation is not filled with cinnamon sugar. A food magazine - Bon Appetit, I think - published a similar recipe last year. But I was amazed at the subtle differences. Thank you so much for responding.

PS - was the barbecue place Bandits?

one of my favorite things in the summer is blackberry dumplings .... after the berries are washed, we put them on the stove to boil with sugar added.    Mama never strained hers and she made drop dumplings.    My sister's don't like the seeds of the berries, but to me the whole berry, instead of just the juice, is the meat of the dumplings ... fresh whipped cream on the top and you've got a great dessert

Would a similar dessert made with apples be called an iDumpling?
 
Brad

I don't know about that, but if you've never had blackberry dumplings, you should try them ... they aren't that pretty to look at, but they sure are good - foo foo'm up with whipped cream could fix that