Quarkbällchen

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy deep pot or Dutch oven
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Small cookie scoop or two teaspoons
• •Slotted spoon
• •Paper towels or draining rack

Instructions

1. 1

   Drain the quark

   If the quark looks wet, set it in a fine sieve for 20 minutes while you set up. Wet quark loosens the batter and makes you add extra flour, and extra flour is how a tender Quarkbällchen turns into a dumpling with sugar on it.

2. 2

   Mix the wet base

   Beat the quark, eggs, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt until smooth. The salt is small but it matters; without it the sugar tastes flat and the quark tastes dull.

3. 3

   Fold the batter

   Whisk the flour with the baking powder, then fold it into the quark mixture only until no dry flour shows. Stop there. Baking powder gives the lift, not kneading, and overworking the flour tightens the crumb.

4. 4

   Heat the oil

   Heat the oil in a heavy pot to 170C. Use a thermometer if you have one; guessing is how you get dark outsides and raw middles. The oil should be deep enough for the balls to float freely, because crowding drops the heat and makes them greasy.

   No thermometer? Drop in a pea-sized bit of batter. It should rise steadily and bubble at once, but it should not blacken in half a minute. Still, buy the thermometer. It costs less than a ruined batch.
5. 5

   Fry small batches

   Use two teaspoons or a small oiled scoop to drop walnut-sized portions into the oil. Fry 5 or 6 at a time for 4 to 5 minutes, turning when needed, until evenly golden brown. Small is not decoration here; small cooks through before the crust takes too much colour.

6. 6

   Drain and sugar

   Lift the balls out with a slotted spoon and drain them briefly on paper, then roll them while warm in the cinnamon sugar. The sugar clings while the surface still has a light oil sheen; wait too long and it falls off into the bowl. Eat them the day they are fried.

Chef Tips

• •Use real quark if you can. If you must substitute, use well-drained fromage blanc or thick Greek yogurt mixed with a spoon of sour cream, but drain it first. The batter wants dairy tang, not water.
• •Keep the oil between 165C and 175C. Runter mit der Temperatur if the colour comes too fast; raise it if the balls sit pale and soak.
• •Do not make the batter stiff enough to roll by hand. Quarkbällchen are spooned, not shaped like bread dough, and the sticky batter is what gives the soft middle.
• •Sugar them warm and serve them soon. The crust is at its best in the first hour, crisp at the edge and soft inside. Das braucht seine Zeit, but not a night in a tin.

Advance Preparation

• •Drain the quark up to 12 hours ahead in the refrigerator, covered, so the batter needs less flour.
• •Mix the dry ingredients and the cinnamon sugar ahead. Make the batter just before frying, because baking powder starts working as soon as it meets moisture.
• •Leftovers keep one day loosely covered at room temperature. Warm them briefly in a low oven, not the microwave, which softens the crust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 25g)