Buttery Nalysnyky (Ukrainian crepes) with Sweet Syr Filling

Crepe-like with a crispy crust, nalysnyky is a quintessential dish made with syr or tvorog (farmer's cheese), butter, milk and eggs – plus raisins and a touch of vanilla.

The rich black soil of southern Ukraine yields some of the best produce in Europe, with fresh, juicy tomatoes and watermelons harvested from local farmlands. That's what comes to mind when Ukrainian cookbook author, Anna Voloshyna, thinks of her hometown of Snihurivka – an otherwise "ordinary town" just 35 miles north of Kherson.

"I was lucky to be born and raised there, because I learned how to choose my produce, where my meat was coming from and I just learned to love my cuisine so much," she said.

Growing up, nalysnyky were a regular feature on Voloshyna's breakfast table. As she puts it, nalysnyky are the most wonderful buttery crepes with a crispy crust you've ever tasted.

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"This is something that is very, very special for my family," she said. Voloshyna learned how to make nalysnyky from her mother, whom she calls the "nalysnyky ninja" because of how quickly she can make them.

"They have this richness because of the butter and whole milk and whole eggs," Voloshyna explained. "It's a quintessential dish for Ukraine."

There are a number of savoury and sweet variations of nalysnyky. Voloshyna grew up with and still prefers sweet nalysnyky with syr, also known as tvorog (Ukrainian farmer's cheese), which home cooks can easily make themselves.

"This cheese is made with milk and some souring agent," she said. "So usually in Ukraine, we just let our milk go sour. After that, we cook it on a very, very low heat. When the cheese curds are formed, we just gather them in a cheesecloth, drain it very well and you get your cheese." 

Voloshyna's family tradition was to buy the cheese at the market on a Sunday or Saturday morning, and then go home to make the nalysnyky, mixing the cheese with raisins or dried cherries, vanilla and sugar for the filling.

"This is pure comfort and pure joy for me," she said. "If you feel like you want to cook something that shows your love to your family, this dish is a perfect thing to make."

Unfortunately, it's been some years since Voloshyna has been able to make nalysynky back home in Snihurivka with her family. Prior to the Russian invasion on 24 February 2022, few outside of Ukraine would've heard of Snihurivka or Kherson. But that's one of the many effects of the war, launching previously anonymous towns and villages to the front page of international news.

Maria Boguslav

"This year, [Snihurivka] got very famous because it was occupied by Russian soldiers for more than six months," she said. "And it was the last small town liberated before the Ukrainian army liberated Kherson. So, it was an important win."

Voloshyna spent her formative years in Snihurivka. At 17, she moved to Kyiv for university and met her future husband a year later, who had created his own start up. After graduation, they had an opportunity to relocate to Silicon Valley and decided to take it. But Voloshyna didn't have a work permit. She had to figure out how she would spend her time living in the Bay Area.

"I started cooking, because that was my way to connect with people, and to share my culture with them," she explained. Ukrainian food wasn't prevalent at the time, so it was something different for her new social circles. It wasn't long before friends started asking for recipes, so Voloshyna launched a blog to have someplace to point people to.

But that wasn't enough. People started encouraging her to start a popup restaurant.

"I got a bunch of traction in San Francisco," she said. "And I decided maybe I should put it into written form."

Voloshyna started gathering recipes for a cookbook and took a cookbook writing course at Stanford. That's where she met Tori Ritchie, a San Francisco-based cookbook author and television host who taught the course.

"She believed in me, she helped me, and supported me all steps of the way," said Voloshyna. "And I met my agent there during that cookbook writing course." 

Published in October 2022, Voloshyna's BUDMO!: Recipes from a Ukrainian Kitchen includes her recipe for nalysnyky, which she calls a family treasure. To make them just right, Voloshyna says you want a very thin texture when making the batter.

"First of all, people need to make sure that they use a good whisk," she explained. "And then they add the flour gradually because the flour will just want to clump."

A good stand or hand mixer works here, too. Voloshyna suggests that home cooks blend quickly, but not too much. Stop once it's very smooth. Her second important tip is to let the batter rest for at least 30 minutes to ensure the consistency is slightly thicker than heavy cream.

To make these "super extra fancy rich", Voloshyna recommends putting the nalysnyky in a baking dish, topping it with a thick clotted cream (in Ukraine, they use vershky), and sprinkling a bit of sugar over it before baking in the oven.

Anna Voloshyna

Buttery Nalysnyky with Sweet Syr Filling recipe

By Anna Voloshyna

(serves 6-8)

Method

Step 1

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. 

Step 2

In a large bowl, whisk together the milk, water and eggs. While continuing to whisk, gradually add the flour mixture to the milk mixture. When all of the flour mixture is incorporated, continue to whisk until you have a smooth batter with a consistency slightly thicker than that of heavy cream. Pour in the butter and give the batter a good stir. 

Step 3

Cover the bowl with clingfilm and let the batter rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours before cooking the crepes.

Step 4

While the batter is resting, make the filling. In a medium bowl, using a rubber spatula, mix the cheese, raisins, sugar, vanilla and salt until well blended and smooth. Set aside, or cover and refrigerate if not cooking the crepes right away.

Step 5

Preheat a medium-sized nonstick frying pan over medium heat. Before frying the first crepe, lightly brush the hot pan with the oil to make sure the crepe doesn't stick. Give the batter a good stir with a whisk right before you begin cooking.

Step 6

Using a ladle, pour a small amount of the batter (about ½ cup) into the hot pan and immediately rotate the pan to spread the batter as thinly as possible.

Step 7

Cook the crepe over medium heat until lightly browned on the edges, about 1 minute. Loosen the edges of the crepe with a spatula, flip the crepe over, and cook on the second side until lightly golden, 20 to 30 seconds. Transfer the crepe to a warmed platter and repeat the same steps with the remaining batter, stacking the crepes as they emerge from the pan and covering them with a tea towel to keep them warm. If your crepes begin to stick to the pan, brush the pan with a little more oil.

Step 8

If you crave extra richness, brush each crepe with a thin layer of melted butter while they are still warm. Then spread a thin layer of the filling on each crepe and roll it up into a tight cylinder. Serve right away.

Note: Leftover filled crepes will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. Microwave them on high for 30 seconds to 1 minute before serving. 

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