Khrustyky -- The Ones You Let Go Without Saying Anything

Made the lemon cake for Crystal. It took me four tries. I was working from her verbal description and my instincts about old Southern layer cakes and I kept overshooting the lemon in the glaze. The fourth one was right. Simple yellow cake, two layers, lemon glaze that goes on warm and soaks in slightly, a little lemon zest in the batter itself. It smells exactly the way you want a Sunday cake to smell.

I mailed her a slice in a tin. Tyler helped me package it so it would not arrive destroyed. He lined the tin with wax paper and I set the slice in carefully and we shipped it priority because cake does not improve with time.

She texted me three days later. It said: you got it. Two words. Then she sent a second text that said: how did you know. I said I asked you good questions. She said she had not expected that. I said I know. I said I was good at cooking from descriptions. She said you are. Then she said thank you. Then nothing for a while and that nothing felt different from the other kind of nothing. It felt like a door that had been propped open that had previously been almost closed.

Sunday at Gloria I made the tea cakes for practice. Destiny ate seven and hid the eighth in her pocket. I noticed. I did not say anything. Gloria noticed too. Neither of us said anything. Some things you let go because the keeping is less important than the ease.

The tea cakes I made at Gloria’s that Sunday were really khrustyky — those light, fried pastry ribbons that shatter when you bite them and leave powdered sugar on everything you’re wearing. They’re simple enough to make in someone else’s kitchen with a crowd around you, and delicate enough that eating one feels like a small occasion. That felt right for a day that had already held something tender in it.

Khrustyky

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 36 pieces

Ingredients

• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• Vegetable oil, for frying (about 4 cups)
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Mix the dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, whole egg, sour cream, sugar, softened butter, vanilla, and salt until smooth and well combined.
2. Add the flour. Stir in the flour gradually until a soft dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for 2–3 minutes until smooth. The dough should be pliable but not sticky. Wrap in plastic and rest for 15 minutes.
3. Roll and cut. On a floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/8-inch thickness. Use a pastry wheel or sharp knife to cut strips roughly 1 inch wide and 4 inches long. Cut a small slit lengthwise down the center of each strip, then pull one end through the slit to form a loose twist or bow shape.
4. Heat the oil. Pour oil into a deep, heavy-bottomed pot to a depth of about 2 inches. Heat over medium-high to 350°F. Use a thermometer — temperature matters here for the right crispness without burning.
5. Fry in batches. Fry the khrustyky in small batches, turning once, until pale golden on both sides, about 1–2 minutes per batch. Do not crowd the pot. They puff and color quickly.
6. Drain and cool. Transfer to a wire rack or paper-towel-lined sheet. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before dusting.
7. Dust with powdered sugar. Sift powdered sugar generously over the cooled khrustyky just before serving. Add a second dusting if you want them properly covered.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 62 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Carbs: 8g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 38mg