Tuesday, January 10, 2012

CHEESE BLINTZES

If you’ve enjoyed that luscious dessert - crepes Suzette, (see here), how about a less flamboyant but more “filling” crepe dish that is beloved in many eastern European cultures for its deliciousness?  I’m talking about blintzes.

Similar to the Polish nalesniki, Russian blini or German pfannkuchen, blintzes are a precious, aromatic dish that makes for a good breakfast, brunch or almost- anytime snack.   Sometimes in the wintertime when we were schoolchildren, my mom served us some blintzes when we got home from school and we devoured them gleefully in the warm kitchen.

After you make crepes once or twice, it will become second nature to you. The most important caveat is to let the batter rest in your icebox before you make the crepes.

Cheese Blintzes                                         serves six

Ingredients for the blintzes

2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup of milk
¾ cup sifted flour
½ teaspoon salt

Put all in a bowl and beat until very smooth or in an electric blender and blend well.
Chill for 30-60 minutes. The batter should be like heavy cream, if too thick add water to adjust it.

  • To make the blintzes, use a teaspoon of butter to fry each blintz
  • Melt one teaspoon of butter in a 7 or 8 inch skillet over medium heat
  • Pour in one tablespoon of the batter, turning the pan to completely cover the bottom
  • Fry until slightly browned on one side only, don’t cook other side at all
  • Stack the blintzes browned side up until batter is depleted, adding additional butter if necessary

Cheese filling for blintzes

4 ounces cream cheese
4 ounces small curd cottage cheese
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat the filling ingredients in a bowl until smooth

Prepare the filled blintzes

  • Place a tablespoon of filling on each blintz
  • Turn two opposites sides in and roll carefully to seal in the filling
  • Melt butter in the skillet and fry blintzes, starting on seam, until browned on both sides

Various toppings go well with these blintzes. Sour cream and a little sugar is a most basic topping.  Toppings I like are cherry or blueberry sauce. They go well on many desserts, i.e. French toast, pound cake and  many others.

Blueberry sauce

½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
¼ cup of water
¼ cup light corn syrup OR - 1/8 cup honey plus 1/8 cup water
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 cups of blueberries, fresh or frozen (or pitted cherries if you prefer)

  • Combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan and mix.
  • Stir in the water, corn syrup and lemon juice until smooth
  • Stir in the blueberries and place on stove, Cook, stirring until the sauce comes to a boil and becomes thickened
  • If not using right away, refrigerate in the icebox until needed

Have yourself some cheese blintzes, these groceries will make you happy. You will really love the taste and texture of blintzes and they are, if you follow these steps, fail-proof to make.

Enjoy.

27 comments:

Eat To Live said...

Love, love, love Cheese Blintzes... but they are not on my alkaline diet. Maybe one day I will enjoy them again.

Anonymous said...

Oh yum, I used to make crepes in high school. Tonight I'm making blintzes. Thanks Al!

Unknown said...

I am loving these. The Method is similar to dosa what we prepare here but ingrdients are totally different. I have added in my to-do list.

Jean Katherine Baldridge said...

So delicious sounding! I am about to have my dinner and now I am ravenous! Thank you for this lovely recipe.
jean!

Kalyani said...

looks delicious ......

anthony stemke said...

MY JOURNEY WITH CANDIDA: Oy, you're right, cheese is acid, but at least the butter is neutral eh?
I hope you could at least have a small blintz once in awhile.

GENE POOL DIVA: Good for you Gene, you are in for a treat.

UMA: Hi, I've never made Dosas yet. These blintzes are really good, I know you will love them.

JEAN: You're quite welcome Jean, blintzes are delicious.

Torviewtoronto said...

this looks wonderful delicious crepes

Gail M Baugniet - Author said...

The contrast of cheeses and blueberries makes this recipe sound both mouthwatering and appealing to the eye. Breakfast was never more inviting!

Dawn @ Words Of Deliciousness said...

These look lovely. Perfect for breakfast or any meal of the day.

anthony stemke said...

KALYANI'S PLATTER: It definately is.

TORVIEWTORONTO: These are great crepes.

GAIL M BAUGNIET: You certainly have described it perfectly.
Thank You.

WORDS OF DELICIOUSNESS: You are entirely correct, I hope that you will try them soon.

Misha Gerrick said...

Interesting. Blinzes look a lot like South African pancakes, except we turn them over to fry on both sides. :-)

Purabi Naha said...

Anthony, these look so divine! These are just right down my alley...Loved ths post (and the stunning picture!)
http://cosmopolitancurrymania.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

This recipe sounds yummy. Thanks for sharing it.

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

Oh, how fabulous!!! I grew up eating crepes and prefer them to traditional American pancakes. Your blintzes look perfect!

anthony stemke said...

MISHA: Frying only the one side keeps the crepes more pliable, when filled they are then browned all over. I don't know much about South Africa.

PURABI NAHA: Thank You for your kind words, I am grateful.

SUSANNE DRAZIC: You're most welcome.

AL PENNWASSER: Thanks Al.

LIZZY DO: They are perfectly tasty.

Golden Eagle said...

They sound really good. :)

anthony stemke said...

THE GOLDEN EAGLE: They are that, Thanks for calling.

Miriam said...

I LOOOOVE blintzes!!! They sound amazing :), Miriam@Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters

anthony stemke said...

MIRIAM: I agree with you. I can't believe they aren't more popular.

Joyce said...

I've never tried making them but I do love eating them : )

anthony stemke said...

JOYCE: Well, you are halfway there. You could cook the crepes and wrap and refrigerate them for later. Same thing with the filling and sauce if you want to. Then the actual preparation is a pice of cake, I mean is exceedingly easy.

Spike said...

I love blinzes, we make them with cheese and raisins. Such a nice dessert. Lovely presentation. Thanks for sharing and thank you for the nice comment on my blog.

anthony stemke said...

ANITA - RECIPE WITH PICTURES: Raisins good in blintzes yeah. Thanks.

Deeps @ Naughty Curry said...

this makes for a really scrumptious breakfast... a lovely way to start the day! nice tip bout chilling batter before forming crepes... iv never done this maybe thats why my crepes come out lumpy. love that filling :)

anthony stemke said...

DEEPS@NAUGHTY CURRY: Blintzes are a lovely breakfast, I'm happy that you like them.

Sensible Vegetarian said...

These look so delicious.

anthony stemke said...

SENSIBLE VEGETARIAN: Thank You.

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