Ukrainian · dessert

Varenyky z Vyshniamy (Sour Cherry Varenyky)

Varenyky z Vyshniamy (Sour Cherry Varenyky) reads sweetness 6.8, fruity 4.9 and richness 4.6 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Ukrainian dessert, about 1 hr 33 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Sweetness 6.8 · Fruity 4.9 · Richness 4.6 · Salinity 3.4 · Sourness 3.4 · Floral 3.2 · Funk & Ferment 2.6 · Umami 2.3 · Nutty 1.2 · Earthy 0.6

What's in it (11)

Time & effort: about 1 hr 33 min (1 hr 3 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 169.8 kcal, 3.9 g protein, 6.2 g fat, 31.9 g carbs

Dietary: Vegetarian · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

  1. Put the flour and salt in a bowl and pour the just-boiled water over, stirring hard with a wooden spoon. Scalding part of the flour is what makes this dough stretch thin without tearing and stay tender after boiling.
  2. When it is cool enough to handle, work in the egg and oil and knead 8 minutes to a smooth, soft, slightly tacky dough. Rest it under an upturned bowl 30 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile drain the pitted cherries in a sieve for 20 minutes and keep the juice.
  4. Toss the drained cherries with the 100 g sugar and the potato starch. The starch is doing real work: without it the cherries release their liquid inside the dumpling, blow the seal and boil away into the water.
  5. Roll the dough 2 mm thin and cut 8 cm rounds. Put 4 or 5 cherries on each, fold over and pinch the edge into a rope, keeping the sealing edge completely dry.
  6. Boil in a wide pan of well-salted water in batches. They are done 3 to 4 minutes after they float; the dough at the pinched seam is the thickest part and the last to cook.
  7. Lift out with a slotted spoon and toss straight into the melted butter.
  8. Serve hot with cold smetana, the last sugar scattered over and the reserved cherry juice poured round. In Ukraine the summer versions run through cherries, blueberries and apricots as each comes in; only the filling changes.
  9. Substitutions: sour cream can stand in for the smetana.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.