To prepare the apricots: Remove the apricot pits by sticking a chopstick or the end of a butter knife into the end of the apricot where the stem was and push the pit out the other side. If desired, stuff the pitted apricots with sugar cubes.

For the dough: In a bowl, combine the flour and quark or ricotta. Mix in the egg yolks until you have a sticky dough. It’s messy, but using your hands to mix works well.

For the shaping of the dough, you have two options. The historical recipe says to roll the dough out, which I was able to do after chilling the dough for half an hour, then rolling it out between two sheets of parchment. You’re going for about ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick. Cut out 3 inch (7 ½ cm) rounds. I think an easier way with the same results would be to pat out circles of dough with your hands, so choose whichever method calls to you. Either way, wrap the dough around the apricots, making sure to pinch the ends to seal so that the apricot is totally encased in dough.

To cook the dumplings: Add the salt to a large pot of water and bring it to a simmer. Once it’s simmering, gently add the dumplings in. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes depending on how firm the apricots are. Every minute or so, move the dumplings around so they don’t stick to the bottom, and eventually, they should start floating so you don't have to move them around anymore. While the dumplings cook, prepare the breadcrumbs.

To prepare the breadcrumbs: Melt the butter in a large pan, then add the sugar and cinnamon. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then stir the breadcrumbs in. Cook, stirring frequently, until the breadcrumbs have browned and become fragrant. You want there to be some butter still visible in the pan, so may need to add more butter if the breadcrumbs have soaked it all up. On the other hand, if there’s a lot of butter, add some more breadcrumbs.

To finish: After the dumplings have cooked for 8 to 10 minutes, remove one with a slotted spoon and let the water drip off. Place the dumpling in the pan with the breadcrumbs and let it sit without disturbing it for a few seconds to brown on the bottom, then gently move it around, turning it to get it covered in the breadcrumb mixture all over. Doing two dumplings in the pan at a time worked well for me. You may not get them completely covered in breadcrumbs, but there should be a good crust on them.

Sprinkle the finished dumplings with powdered sugar, then serve them forth while they’re still warm.