Blueberry and Nectarine Dessert Pierogi Recipe

Blueberries and nectarines are a combination of stone fruit and berries that are the perfect symbols of summer on the tongue. Here they come together to fill a dessert variation of pierogi.

To the uninitiated, pierogi are dumplings of eastern European origin. They are made by taking a thin pasta-like dough and wrapping it around a savory or sweet filling and boiled until they float to the surface. They are then either served as is or sauteed in butter until golden brown.

This recipe calls for butter, browning, and a light sprinkle of brown sugar for these little sweet after meal tidbits. Topping these pierogi with a reserve of the sweet tart fruit filling, laced with mint, and a dollop of rich creamy Greek yogurt pulls it all together for a delightful dish.

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Table of Contents

Blueberry and Nectarine Dessert Pierogi

Course Dessert

Cuisine European

Prep Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• ½ cup water room temperature
• 1 teaspoon oil

Filing

• 2 nectarines
• 1 cup blueberries
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 -3 sprigs fresh mint
• 1 lemon
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup quark

Serving

• light brown sugar
• fresh mint
• plain Greek yogurt
• reserved fruit filling

Instructions

1. Sift the flour and baking powder through a fine sieve into a bowl. Add the salt and stir together with a whisk. Make a well for the egg in the center of the flour.
2. Beat the egg lightly before pouring it into the flour. Stir the egg into the flour mixture with a fork, carefully pulling the flour into the middle as you stir. The dough will become clumpy.
3. Pour just enough water into the dough to help pull the dough together to form a ball. Knead the dough in the bowl to help it come together before turning it out onto a floured surface.
4. Knead the dough for 5-7 minutes or until it becomes a smooth ball. Add olive oil and knead it into the dough; about 2-3 minutes longer. Return the dough to a clean bowl and cover the bowl with a cloth to allow it to rest for about 30-45 minutes.
5. Wash the blueberries and nectarines under cool water before placing them on a cutting board. Peel the nectarines and. Cut the pieces of nectarine off of the seed with a paring knife and transfer them and the blueberries to a bowl. Discard the seeds. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the fruit.
6. Roughly chop the mint and add it to the bowl. Add the brown sugar to the fruit and stir well. Set aside for about 10 minutes.
7. Transfer the fruit to a small saucepan along with the water and place it on the stove over medium-high heat. Bring the fruit to a slow bowl, stirring occasionally. Allow it to cook until the juices have seeped out around the fruit and it’s thickened a bit; approximately 15 minutes. Transfer the cooked fruit to a bowl and allow it to cool for about 5-10 minutes. Ladle 2/3 cup to another bowl and cover to reserve for serving. Stir the quark into the filling fruit mixture bowl.
8. Dust a flat surface with flour and roll out the dough to about 1/8th inch thickness. Using a round cutter, cut out circles of the dough. Pull up the scraps and set them aside to be rolled out again.
9. Spoon a small amount of the fruit filling into the center of the dough circles. Using a finger dipped in water, wet the edge of the dough and fold it over the filling, pressing the edges down to seal them, pleating them if necessary to keep the filling from coming out. Set aside on a dry surface and repeat with the rest of the dough and filling.
10. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Transfer the sealed pierogi to the hot water to cook for about 5 minutes, or until they rise to the surface, in batches. Place the cooked pierogi to a dish after each batch.
11. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Transfer the boiled pierogi to the pan and allow them to brown on the outside, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with a bit of brown sugar and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels.
12. Serve the pierogi in a bowl with Greek yogurt, reserved fruit and fresh mint.

STEP ONE – PREPARE THE FLOUR

Place a sieve over a large bowl. Pour the flour and baking powder into the sieve and shake it to let the flour fall into the bowl in order to remove any lumps and create a lighter texture.

Add the salt to the sifted flour and stir it with a whisk to evenly distribute it throughout. Stir into the center of the flour to form an indentation in the middle of the flour.

STEP TWO – MAKE THE DOUGH

Beat the egg in a small bowl with a fork or whisk.

Pour the egg into the center of the flour and slowly stir, pulling the flour into the egg as you do.

Continue to stir until the egg is absorbed by the flour and little clumps form.

STEP THREE – FORM DOUGH

Pour just a bit of water into the dough and continue to stir to help it pull together into a ball.

Using your hands, knead the dough into a ball while it’s still in the bowl.

STEP FOUR – KNEAD DOUGH

Dust a flat surface and turn the dough onto it. Dust the top of the dough and then start to knead it by pushing down with the heel of your hand and pulling it back on itself with your fingers.

Repeat, turning the dough as you do, until an elastic smooth ball has formed. Pour the oil onto the ball and knead again to work the oil into the dough.

Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and cover with a kitchen towel, allowing it to rest for at least half an hour.

STEP FIVE – PREPARE THE FRUIT

Rinse the blueberries and nectarines under cool water.

Peel the nectarines before cutting around the outside of the flesh to form small cubes with a sharp knife before cutting the fruit off of the seeds. Place both the nectarines and blueberries into a bowl, cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the fruit, careful to remove any seeds that may fall in.

STEP SIX – SEASON THE FRUIT

Roughly chop the mint into pieces and add it to the nectarines and blueberries. Sprinkle in the brown sugar and toss to coat the fruit.

Allow them to sit and the juices to seep out for about 10 minutes.

STEP SEVEN – COOK THE FRUIT

Pour the fruit and their juices into a sauce pan and put it on the stove over medium-high heat, bringing it to a slow boil.

As it cooks, stir it occasionally as it cooks and the juices thicken around the fruit. After about 15 minutes it should be thick and syrupy. Turn off the heat and allow it to cool for another 10 minutes. Transfer some of the fruit to a bowl to reserve for serving.

Stir the quark into the fruit that will be used for filling the pierogi.

STEP EIGHT – ROLL OUT AND CUT THE DOUGH

Sprinkle flour on a cutting board or clean counter space and turn the dough out onto it. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to about 1/8th inch thickness.

Cut the dough into circles using either a biscuit or cookie cutter or the top of a large round cup. Gather the left over dough and reserve it to roll out after the first pierogi are made.

STEP NINE – MAKE THE PIEROGI

Scoop out a little bit of the fruit filling, about a teaspoon size, and drop it into the center of one of the circles of dough.

Wet the edges of the circle with water and a finger before folding the circle in half over the filling and seal the edges by pressing them together with your fingers. Roll out the rest of the dough, cut, and fill them out as well.

STEP TEN – COOK THE PIEROGI

Place a large pot of water on the stove over high heat and bring it to a boil.

Drop the filled pierogi into the hot water and allow them to cook, in batches, about 5 minutes or until they float to the surface. Transfer them to a plate to drain of excess water while you cook the rest.

STEP ELEVEN – BROWN THE PIEROGI

Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt the butter in it. Once the butter has completely melted, add the pierogi to it and allow them to brown on both sides. Sprinkle a little more brown sugar over them while they are still in the pan so that it sticks before transferring them to a plate lined with paper towels.

STEP TWELVE – SERVE

Put 3-5 pierogi in a bowl or on a plate and add a dollop of Greek yogurt and a couple spoonfuls of reserved fruit filling and mint.

Obviously this dessert pierogi is tuned for summer stone fruits and berries, but can be switched up with a variety of fruits depending on what is available. Try cherries, or strawberries and rhubarb for spring. Maybe some apples or pears in the fall, or cranberries and orange for winter. The possible combinations are endless!

What kind of pierogi do you like? Sweet or savory? Please tell us in the comments!