Balls of leavened dough cooked covered in a little milk and butter: the steam puffs them up while a golden crust forms on the bottom. They are topped with a vanilla custard for a soft and caramelized bite.

Why this dish? Dampfnudeln are an emblematic sweet treat of Bavaria and the Palatinate: a pillow of leavened dough steamed in a pot, with a caramelized crust on the bottom. In a frugal household like Ohm's, such a Mehlspeise served as a Sunday meal, comforting and inexpensive.

Here is a treat from our homeland that ruins no one — a little flour, milk, and patience suffice. The secret lies in one thing: once the lid is on, do not lift it! The steam makes the balls rise while a golden, crunchy bottom forms in the pot. Serve them drizzled with a mild custard, and you will see that a physicist knows how to appreciate a well-rounded Sunday. It was the sweet reward of a modest household.

How it was made : Dampfnudeln were cooked in a heavy cast-iron pot on the stove; the sign of successful cooking was the final sizzle as the evaporated milk left the bottom to caramelize. Vanilla remained a luxury: modest households often made do with sweetened milk, fruit compote, or plum sauce.

The contemporary twist : A quenelle of very cold vanilla custard on the hot Dampfnudel, a hot-cold contrast, with a shard of caramelized crust stuck on top.

Sources : Henriette Davidis, Praktisches Kochbuch für die gewöhnliche und feinere Küche (1845)

Georg Ohm · Charactorium