Nalysnyky

Ingredients

Crêpes

• 250 gplain flour
• 3eggs
• 500 mlmilk
• 150 mlwater
• 2 tbspmelted butter
• 1 tbspsugar
• ½ tspsalt

Filling

• 600 gdry curd cheese, syr, or farmer’s cheese
• 2egg yolks
• 80 gsugar
• 50 graisins, soaked
• 1 tspvanilla
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• a pinch of salt

To bake

• 80 gbutter, melted
• 200 mlsour cream

To serve

• more sour cream
• fruit preserve
• icing sugar

Directions

1. Whisk the eggs, milk, water, sugar and salt together, then whisk in the flour until completely smooth. Whisk in the melted butter last. Butter in the batter means you need almost no fat in the pan, and the crêpes release cleanly.
2. Cover the batter and rest it for 30 minutes before cooking. The batter should be thin, roughly like single cream, and thinner than a pancake batter.
3. Heat a crêpe pan over a medium heat and wipe it with the barest film of butter. Pour in a small ladleful and swirl the pan immediately to spread it thin. Swirl at once, while the batter is still liquid, or it sets thick in the middle.
4. Cook about a minute, until the surface is set and the edges lift, then flip and give the second side 20 seconds. The second side is only to set it, and cooked as long as the first it goes dry and brittle.
5. Stack the crêpes on a plate as they come off, which keeps them soft by steaming each other. Sieving the curd is what makes the filling smooth. Beat in the yolks, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, salt and the drained raisins. The cheese must be dry rather than wet. Drain wet cheese in a cloth for an hour if that is all you have.
6. Spread a line of filling along one edge of each crêpe and roll it up into a cigar, or fold in the sides and roll into a parcel. Do not overfill. Pack the rolls seam side down in a buttered dish, side by side.
7. Brush generously with melted butter and spoon sour cream over the top. The butter and cream are what make these baked nalysnyky rather than simply filled pancakes, and they should not be skipped. Bake at 180°C (355°F) for 20 to 25 minutes, until the tops are golden and the cream has set around them. Serve hot with more sour cream and fruit preserve.

Technique

• Ukrainian syr is a dry pressed curd, closer to farmer’s cheese than to cottage cheese.
• They can be assembled a day ahead and baked when wanted.
• Nalysnyky are thinner and more delicate than Russian blini.

Substitutions

• Ricotta drained overnight, or farmer’s cheese, in place of syr.
• Cottage cheese pressed through a sieve and drained hard.

Variations

• Savoury, with mushrooms, meat or potato.
• With cherry or apple filling.
• Fried in butter rather than baked.

History

Thin, crepe-like pancakes, rolled around a filling of sweetened farmer’s cheese, fruit preserve or savory meat, documented across Ukraine for many generations as a traditional dish with roots tracing to a broader Eastern European crepe tradition shared under related names across neighboring countries including Russia and Poland. Its thin, delicate pancake wrapper, requiring practiced skill to cook evenly without tearing, is filled and rolled while still warm before being lightly pan-fried again to seal and brown the outside, distinguishing nalysnyky’s finishing technique from simpler unfried crepe traditions. Nalysnyky remain a popular traditional dish across Ukraine, prepared in both sweet and savory versions depending on the meal and occasion.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nalysnyky?

Nalysnyky is a breakfast from Ukraine: thin crepes rolled around sweet cheese. Thin, crepe-like pancakes, rolled around a filling of sweetened farmer’s cheese, fruit preserve or savory meat, documented across Ukraine for many generations as a traditional dish with roots tracing to a broader Eastern European crepe tradition shared under related names across neighboring countries including Russia and Poland. Its thin, delicate pancake wrapper, requiring practiced skill to cook evenly without tearing, is filled and rolled while still warm before being lightly pan-fried again to seal and brown the outside, distinguishing nalysnyky’s finishing technique from simpler unfried crepe traditions. Nalysnyky remain a popular traditional dish across Ukraine, prepared in both sweet and savory versions depending on the meal and occasion.

How long does Nalysnyky take to make?

Nalysnyky takes 30 min plus 30 min resting of preparation and 40 min of cooking. The recipe makes about 16. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Nalysnyky?

Yes, within limits. Ricotta drained overnight, or farmer’s cheese, in place of syr. Cottage cheese pressed through a sieve and drained hard.

What is the most important thing to get right in Nalysnyky?

Heat a crêpe pan over a medium heat and wipe it with the barest film of butter. Pour in a small ladleful and swirl the pan immediately to spread it thin. Swirl at once, while the batter is still liquid, or it sets thick in the middle.