Nalysnyky (Ukrainian Crepes)
Sweet nalysnyky are arguably the most popular Ukrainian dessert, especially when filled with farmer’s cheese. Farmer’s cheese and sour cream is always a good idea, they say in Ukraine.
You’ll see this yourself when you visit the country. Dairy products are much loved ingredients in both sweet and savory dishes, and cottage cheese is found in every other dish.
Many Ukrainians start their weekend morning by making sweet nalysnyky for the whole family. While it is pretty straightforward to make, you do need a bit of patience to master the art of flipping nalysnyky without tearing them apart.
The trick is that for these super-thin, almost transparent crepes, you have a scorching frying pan. Don’t get upset if a few of the first crepes go to waste. Just keep practicing and you will conquer the crepe battle. The end result will be rewarding, I promise.
Nalysnyky (Crepes)
Ingredients
For the crepes:
- 2 cups milk pint
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour 4 oz
- 2 tbsp oil
For the berry sauce (optional):
- 11 oz frozen mixed berries
- 3 tbsp orange juice
Instructions
How to Make the Crepes:
- Mix the milk, whisked eggs, and flour well.
- Add the salt and make sure there are no lumps. Note: You can use water instead of milk too.
- Place a lump of butter into your very hot frying pan. Pour in the batter and swirl the batter around so that it spreads evenly around the pan. Fry lightly on both sides.
- Mix the filling: farmer’s cheese, eggs, sugar, and salt. If you like a smooth texture, process the farmer’s cheese in a food processor.
- Leave it as it is if you don’t mind cheese lumps.
- Spread the filling onto the crepe and fold it. In Ukraine, sweet crepes are normally folded into rolls, not envelopes
- You can go either way afterwards: leave the rolled crepe as it is or cover it in whisked egg and fry it once again. The former version is served cold, and the latter one is served hot.
- Serve nalysnyky with sour cream and jam, honey, fresh berries or banana slices.
How to Make the Filling:
- Serve nalysnyky with sour cream and jam, honey, fresh berries or banana slices.
- In a small bowl, combine cheese, egg, salt, sugar, and, if desired, dill, using a fork until well blended. If the cheese mixture is too dry, you can add a small amount of cream to achieve the desired consistency.
- Spread approximately 1/3 cup of the filling evenly over the surface, making sure to leave some space along the edges. Next, fold in both sides, and then roll it up, similar to how you would roll a jelly roll.
- Heat a saucepan and place the berries and juice inside. Once the berries begin to simmer, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes or until a saucy consistency. Set aside. Pour the warm berry sauce over the top and serve with sour cream.
- Alternatively, you may opt for the apple and cinnamon filling.
- To prepare this filling, grate apples coarsely and sprinkle them generously with cinnamon and sugar.
- Mix well and leave in a large bowl for 10-15 minutes. Press any excess moist out to ensure that the mixture does not tear the crepe.
