For the poppy seed mulled wine dumplings, bring milk to a boil with sugar, orange and lemon zest and vanilla bean, add spices, stir in poppy seeds and cook until mixture is compact and separates from bottom of pot. Mix in apple or pear and let cool.
Meanwhile, mix butter with yolks and egg and mix in bread. Place in the refrigerator.
Mix both masses well and form small dumplings with wet hands, cook test dumplings, if needed mix in some more bread crumbs or brioche crumbs to firm up the mass.
For the mulled wine, bring all ingredients to a boil, remove from heat, let steep for 10 minutes, strain, bring back to a boil, add the dumplings and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes below boiling point.
Remove dumplings from mulled wine and serve with vanilla or mulled wine sauce.
For the mulled wine sauce, stir 20 to 30 g vanilla pudding powder with some cold mulled wine, stir into the boiling mulled wine and boil down or thicken while stirring.