History

Marillenknoedel are a Bohemian-Viennese tradition tied to the Wachau valley's apricot season in July. The dish travels onto every Wiener Beisl carte during the summer apricot weeks. Vollpension on Schleifmuehlgasse runs the canonical home-cook version with quark dough; Steirereck's tasting menu has lifted the dish into a fine-dining course in season.

Common allergens: Gluten, Egg, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 12Hands-on 45 minTotal 1 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 600g floury potatoes, peeled
  • 150g plain flour
  • 30g semolina
  • 1 large egg
  • 20g unsalted butter, softened
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt
  • 12 ripe Wachau apricots (Marillen)
  • 12 sugar cubes (one per apricot)
  • 100g unsalted butter, for the breadcrumbs
  • 150g fine fresh white breadcrumbs
  • 50g caster sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • Icing sugar, to dust

Method

  1. Boil the whole peeled potatoes in salted water for 25 minutes until tender. Drain and let steam dry 5 minutes.
  2. Press the warm potatoes through a ricer onto a clean work surface. Spread out to cool to lukewarm.
  3. Once cooled, add the flour, semolina, egg, softened butter and salt. Work quickly with cool hands into a smooth dough; do not over-knead or it gets gluey.
  4. Stone the apricots by cutting along the seam and twisting out the pit. Slip a sugar cube into each cavity.
  5. Divide the dough into 12 portions. Flatten each into a disc 10cm wide, place an apricot in the centre and wrap the dough around, sealing seams with a wet finger.
  6. Roll between cupped hands until smooth and round. Set on a floured tray.
  7. Bring a wide pot of salted water to a bare simmer (never a rolling boil; the dumplings split).
  8. Slide the knoedel in gently and cook 12 to 15 minutes. They float when nearly done; cook another 3 minutes after they rise.
  9. While they cook, melt the 100g butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Stir in the breadcrumbs and toast 5 minutes to deep golden. Stir in the sugar and cinnamon.
  10. Lift the cooked dumplings out with a slotted spoon, drain briefly, and roll in the warm sugared crumbs to coat thickly. Dust with icing sugar and serve at once with vanilla sauce.

Tip from the editors. Use Wachau or Klosterneuburger Marillen if you can find them; their fragrance and acidity are the whole point. Out-of-season apricots from the southern hemisphere disappoint.

Where to eat marillenknoedel

Marillenknoedel in Vienna

Vollpension ★ 4.6

Cafe€€wieden

Vollpension on Schleifmuehlgasse in Vienna's Wieden hires Viennese grandmothers and grandfathers to bake the menu of Strudel, Torten and Mehlspeise.

Signature: Apfelstrudel, Topfengolatschen

Order: Apfelstrudel with vanilla sauce, made that morning by one of the resident grandmothers.

Tip: The dining room fills fast on weekends; the Naschmarkt branch at Stand 343 takes the spillover.

Schleifmuehlgasse 16, 1040 Wien Book →

Cafe Landtmann ★ 4.4

Café€innere-stadtWork-friendlyWifi

Cafe Landtmann on Universitaetsring in Vienna has poured at the Burgtheater corner since 1873, Sigmund Freud's preferred coffeehouse with a long carte.

Signature drink: Grosser Brauner

Tip: Open daily 07:30 to midnight; the front-room bench seats face the Burgtheater across the Ring.

Universitaetsring 4, 1010 Wien

Gasthaus Poeschl ★ 4.7

Viennese€€innere-stadt

Gasthaus Poeschl on Weihburggasse in Vienna's first district is a Hermann Czech-renovated Beisl turning out the canonical Viennese carte, with Wiener.

Signature: Wiener Schnitzel, Backhendlsalat

Order: Wiener Schnitzel; the Backhendlsalat is the lunch alternative.

Tip: Open Monday to Saturday 12:00-23:00, kitchen to 22:00; book the back room for a quieter table.

Weihburggasse 17, 1010 Wien

Plachutta Wollzeile ★ 4.6

Viennese€€€innere-stadt

Plachutta on Wollzeile in Vienna is the canonical Tafelspitz address, the boiled-beef pot served in copper pans with rösti, apple horseradish.

Signature: Tafelspitz, Beuschel

Order: Tafelspitz vom Schulterscherzel; the cut Franz Joseph is said to have favoured.

Tip: Open daily 11:30-23:30; the kitchen runs lunch through dinner without a break.

Wollzeile 38, 1010 Wien Book →

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