Cherry Dumplings In Brandied Butter

Total Time: 35 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 2 cups fresh cherries, pitted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 8 ounces dumpling wrappers (1/2 package, a package usually contains 90-100 wrappers)
• 750 ml brandy (1 bottle or to taste)
• 1 lb butter, unsalted
• 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
• 2 ounces chocolate curls (garnish)
• 1 pint ice cream (optional, but very nice!)

Recipe

• 1 slow cook the cherries, sugar, and 1/2 cup brandy (to taste) until tender.
• 2 put the mixture into the refrigerator to cool.
• 3 open the package of dumpling wrappers, remove 5 wrappers, and keep a damp tea towel (or damp paper towel) over the remaining wrappers.
• 4 take the cherry, sugar and brandy mix out of the fridge once it's cooled enough to handle it.
• 5 wet the edges of a dumpling wrapper with water, put a teaspoon (about 4-5 cherries) into the center, then fold the dumpling wrapper over and seal the edges together with a fork or your fingers, like ravioli -- the seal must be tight!
• 6 do the other 4 wrappers, then take out another five and repeat until you run out of dumplings or wrappers.
• 7 to make the sauce, dissolve the butter in 1/2 cup of brandy until you have a creamy consistency, then take off the heat.
• 8 to cook the dumplings, use only one of the cooking methods listed below, then go the the plating step (#11).
• 9 cooking method 1: to steam the dumplings -- prepare a steamer (e.g., a wok with an insert, or bamboo steaming trays above hot water), then put the dumplings in a single layer into the steaming vessel and cover; steam for ca 10 minutes.
• 10 cooking method 2: to boil the dumplings -- boil a good amount of water in a pot (at least 3-4 inches deep), drop the dumplings in, and cook until they float.
• 11 once you have cooked the dumplings, puddle the brandied butter in a rimmed plate, put 2-4 dumplings in the center, then garnish with chocolate curls. optionally, a scoop of ice cream (vanilla or cherry) on the side makes for a heavenly flavor. any additional sauce can go on top of the ice cream.