Blintzes

My great-grandmother, grandmother and mother always made the best blintzes I've ever had ... but, I could never get a recipe! When I asked how to make Blintzes, the reply would be something like, "just add eggs, flour, vanilla and sugar until it looks right".

Well, last summer (1999) my mother and I took a trip back east to Maryland, Washington, New Jersey and New York. I can't tell you how disappointed we were to discover no-one knew how to make blintzes! We were given, more often than not, pancakes or crepes filled with cottage cheese, cream cheese or blend of cottage and cream cheese. Not to say they didn't taste good. But ...

So, after returning, my mother determined we would experiment until we figured out the family blintz recipe.

It took a full day, but the product was wonderful and I share it with everyone.

For those who don't know, blintzes are similar to a crepe, but thinner, smaller, and initially, very pale yellowish-white filled with a blend of farmer's cheese.

The Crepes or Pancakes

• 2 egg whites (save the yolks for the filling)
• 4 whole eggs
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 bowls
• very heavy non-stick 6-8" frying pan -- trying to make good blintzes requires a GOOD pan!

1. In the first bowl, mix the 2 egg whites, 4 whole eggs and 1-1/2 cups milk lightly. Don't overmix.
2. Pour the liquid into the 2nd bowl which contains the 1/2 cup flour. Mix lightly.
3. Add 1/2 tsp vanilla and 2 tsp sugar. Mix lightly.

Making the pancakes is the tricky part. You will need to experiment with the temperature to get the desired effect. For my stove top (gas), it was about a medium temperature.

Pour about 1/2 a ladel (roughly 2 ounces) of the batter into the frying pan. Tilt the frying pan, quickly, to spread the batter evenly and thinly over the bottom. As soon as the batter is dry, NOT brown, remove. Both sides will be cooked. Set aside to cool. You will want to separate the layers with wax paper.

The Filling

• 4 egg yolks
• 2 egg whites
• 3 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2-1/2 # hoop cheese (alternatively, you can use farmer's cheese)

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Be careful not to overmix.

Building the Blintz

1. In the center of a pancake, place about a tablespoon of the filling.
2. Even though you have a round shape, imagine it is square and fold like a pillow: (a) first fold bottom up; (b) next fold sides in; (c) finally fold top down. This should produce a pillow shape.
3. Set fold side down.
4. Refrigerate until ready to warm and serve.

To serve, fry the "pillow" lightly and serve topped with applesauce, sour cream, strawberry preserves or ...

Note: Built Blintzes can be frozen/refrigerated for later use.

Page Last Modified: 01/26/2011