Germknoedel

What the heck is that word, you are wondering? It's a German term for yeast dumpling, and boy, is this particular one huge. It's supposed to be the size of the plate, pretty much. One of my favorite things growing up and once again, part of the sweet lunch category that the Austrians depend on. I watched a documentary on a German Alpine village last night (because that's the type of TV that really gets my ball rolling) and at the top of the damn mountain, there was a café or restaurant or hole in the wall place selling, what else? Beer, of course (it was a German mountain after all) and on the menu I saw this yeast dumpling being offered.
When I moved to NYC and had their steamed dumplings in Chinatown, they reminded me of this Austrian one, except the Chinese ones were much smaller and usually savory. This Germknoedel (and it's not pronounced like germs) is boiled then steamed or baked I believe, kind of like bagels are made, so you get a chewy inside and firmer outer layer. The center is filled with plum butter, which is to say plum jam that has been cooked down to a viscous almost cloying consistency. The dough itself is bland in flavor, which explains the central plum butter, but wait. The dumpling is served with warm vanilla sauce and topped with ground poppy seeds. Who the heck invented this behemoth of a thing I should probably research but I'm convinced was a genius.
So, to spare you any more descriptions, I'll just show you pictures instead.

Served in the mountains, just as I saw on TV.

 

 

 

A better angle of the whole meal - note the dumpling drowning in vanilla sauce. There can never be too much.

 

 

The plum butter filling

 

 

Why have one when you can have two? Just kidding, did you see the size of these darn things?