Very Berry Blintzes Recipes

BERRY BLINTZES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the egg whites and milk. Combine the flour, sugar and salt; add to milk mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. , Heat a lightly greased 8-in. nonstick skillet over medium heat; pour 1/4 cup batter into the center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet as needed. When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between., For filling, in a small bowl, beat ricotta and cream until smooth. Beat in 1/2 cup sour cream, sugar, 1 tablespoon wheat germ and vanilla until blended. Spoon about 1/4 cup onto each blintze; fold ends and sides over filling., Arrange blintzes folded side down in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish; brush with melted butter. Cover and bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until heated through. Top each blintze with berries and dollop of remaining sour cream. Sprinkle with remaining wheat germ.

BLUEBERRY BLINTZES

Steps:

• Combine the milk, water, eggs, flour, salt and sugar in a blender. Blend on medium speed for 15 seconds, until the batter is smooth and lump-free. Scrape down the sides of the blender and pour in 3 tablespoons of melted butter. Blend it again for a second just to incorporate. Refrigerate the batter for 1 hour to let it rest. If the crepes are made immediately, they have a tendency to be rubbery; when you let the batter rest, the crepes have a better texture and a softer bite.
• Put an 8-inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet over medium heat and brush with a little melted butter for added assurance. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and swirl it around so it covers the bottom evenly; pour back any excess. Cook for 30 to 45 seconds, until the crepe batter sets. Lightly bang the edge of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the crepe; then flip it and cook another 30 seconds. The art of flipping a crepe in the air takes practice, so make sure no one is looking when you get the first one going. If this intimidates you, use a heatproof rubber spatula to loosen and flip the crepe. The crepes should be pliable, not crisp, and lightly brown. Slide them onto a platter and continue making the crepes until all the batter is used. Cover the stack of crepes with a towel to keep them from drying out. This makes 10 crepes.
• Assembly: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Forming the blintzes is kind of like making burritos. Spoon 1/4 cup of the Cheese Filling along the lower third of the crepe. Fold the bottom edge away from you to just cover the filling; then fold the 2 sides in to the center. Roll the crepe away from you a couple of times to make a package, ending with the seam side down. Put an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Brush with melted butter. Pan-fry the blintzes for 2 minutes per side until crisp and golden.
• Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 10 minutes so the egg in the filling cooks slightly and the cheese sets. Using a spatula, transfer the blintzes to serving plates. Spoon the Blueberry Sauce on top, dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve right away.
• Serve with chopped banana and remaining Blueberry Sauce. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
• In a food processor, combine the ricotta cheese, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, lemon zest, and egg and blend until smooth. Chill the filling to firm it up a bit so it doesn't squirt out of the blintzes.
• Combine the butter, blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice in a small pot over medium-high heat. Bring up to a low boil and stir gently until the berries break down and release their natural juices. The consistency should remain a bit chunky. It will thicken up when it cools down slightly.

CHEESE BLINTZES WITH THREE-BERRY COMPOTE

Steps:

• Filling
• If using cottage cheese, place in center of kitchen towel, gather towel around cheese and squeeze to remove excess moisture. Measure 2 1/2 cups packed cottage cheese (reserve remainder for another use). Combine 1 1/4 pounds hoop cheese or 2 1/2 cups packed dry cottage cheese and sugar in processor; blend well. Add eggs and salt; process until almost smooth, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Transfer to bowl. Cover and refrigerate. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• Crepes
• Combine 1 1/2 cups water and eggs in blender. Add flour, sugar and salt. Blend on lowspeed until very smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of container. Pour batter into medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Heat 10-inch nonstick skillet over high heat. Brush very lightly with oil. Transfer 3 tablespoons batter to small cup. Working quickly, pour batter into center of skillet; tilt and shake skillet to spread batter into 7-inch round. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook crepe until bottom is speckled brown, about 45 seconds. Loosen sides of crepe with spatula and turn out onto paper towel, cooked side up. Cover with paper towel. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing pan occasionally with oil and layering crepes between paper towels.
• Place 1 crepe cooked side up on work surface. Place 1/4 cup filling in 3-inch-long log just below center. Fold bottom of crepe over filling. Fold sides in. Roll crepe up, enclosing filling completely. Transfer blintz to plastic-lined platter. Repeat with remaining filling and crepes. (Can be prepared ahead. Cover and chill overnight or freeze up to 1 month. Do not thaw frozen blintzes before cooking.)
• Compote
• Combine all berries, sugar and lemon peel in large bowl. Let stand at room temperature until berries defrost, sugar dissolves and juices form in bowl, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Strain berry mixture thoroughly, reserving juices. Place cornstarch in heavy medium saucepan. Gradually add reserved juices to cornstarch, whisking until smooth. Whisk over high heat until syrup boils and is thick and clear, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Cool 15 minutes. Mix berries into syrup. Adjust tartness with lemon juice. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Assembly
• Pour oil into 2 large nonstick skillets to depth of scant 1/8 inch; heat over medium-low heat until hot. Place blintzes seam down in skillets. Cook until bottoms are brown and crisp, shaking pans gently and moving blintzes occasionally to prevent sticking, about 6 minutes (for frozen blintzes, cover skillet for first 6 minutes). Using spatula, turn blintzes over; cook until blintzes are brown and crisp and blintzes feel firm when lightly pressed, about 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lined platter. Place 2 blintzes on each plate. Spoon compote over blintzes. Top with sour cream. Sprinkle with lemon peel.

BLUEBERRY BLINTZES

Steps:

• Make the filling by gently tossing all the filling ingredients together in a bowl.
• Set aside.
• To make the crepes, beat the eggs, milk, salt, sugar& 2 tbs.
• oil together.
• Stir in flour vigorously until the mixture issmooth.
• Heat about 1/4 teaspoon oil in a 6" skillet over medium high heat.
• Pour 2 tbs.
• batter into the pan, and tilt the pan around to coat the bottom with the batter.
• Let the crepe brown lightly, approximately a minute or so, then carefully turn out, browned side up, onto a paper towel.
• Make the rest of the pancakes in the same way.
• When all the pancakes are made, take one pancake and lay it flat on a plate or flat surface.
• Place about 1 tablespoon filling near one side of circle, shaping it so it's somewhat rectangular.
• Fold the top& bottom up and over the filling, then roll up from the other sides.
• You can freeze the blintzes at this point (I freeze them in packets of 2 at a time).
• Heat 1 tbs.
• oil in large skillet over medium heat (you don't need a lot of oil for this-- you want just a thin coating).
• Fry blintzes until golden brown on both sides.
• If you are cooking them directly from the freezer, start them on a lower flame and then raise the heat when they are fairly thawed out to medium heat; when cooking from a frozen state, especially if i'm cooking only two, i'll actually just use my fingers to rub a very light coating of oil over each side of the blintze instead of heating the oil in the pan.
• Serve with sour cream or sprinkled with powdered or granulated sugar; They are even good with some slightly sweetened ricotta cheese.
• Makes 14 to 18 blintes.
• NOTE: I often will make 8 or 9 inch crepes and use 2 heaping tablespoons filling to make larger blintzes, but then you get fewer; I often double the recipe to do so.
• I also prefer the lemon juice to the lemon rind (use to taste, and add a touch more of cornstarch if needed) but use the rind if you prefer a stronger lemon flavor.

VERY BERRY BLINTZES

Steps:

• In a bowl, whisk egg whites, milk, sugar and salt. Add flour; beat until smooth. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Heat an 8-inch skillet coated with nonstick spray over medium heat. For each blintz, pour 1/4 cup batter into center of skillet; turn pan to cover bottom. Cook until light brown; turn and brown other side. Cool on a wire rack. When completely cool, stack with paper towels between.
• For filling, beat ricotta, cream cheese, 1/4 cup sour cream, sugar, 1/2 TBS wheat germ and vanilla until well combined.
• Spoon 1/4 cup filling onto each blintz, fold ends and sides over filling.
• Arrange blintzes, seam side down in a 13x9x2-inch baking dish; brush with melted butter.
• Cover and bake at 350 degrees until heated through, 10-15 minutes.
• Top each blintz with berries and a dollup of sour cream. Sprinkle with wheat germ.