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Cheese blintzes
Cheese blintzes (בלינצ'עס): thin crêpes folded around sweet farmer cheese and fried in butter
Cheese blintzes are the star of Shavuot breakfasts in Ashkenazi homes across Israel, and Jerusalem dairy cafés have served them for generations with soured cream and berry sauce. Thin crêpes, cooked on one side only, are wrapped around sweetened farmer cheese with lemon and vanilla, then fried in butter until crisp and golden outside and creamy within. Serve two per person with soured cream and a spoon of cherry or blueberry compote. Farmer cheese is usually rennet-free, but check the label and choose a vegetarian one. A common mistake is a wet filling: drain the cheese well or it leaks and the blintzes burst in the pan. Chef's tip: fill on the cooked side, so the pale raw side ends up outside and browns properly in the final fry.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the crêpes
- 3 eggs
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- 4 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 ¾ oz buttermelted, divided
For the filling
- 14 oz farmer cheesewell drained; check it is made without animal rennet
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 ¾ oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon zestfinely grated
To serve
- ¾ cup soured cream (optional)
- 5 ½ oz berry compote (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Whisk 3 eggs, 1 ¼ cups milk, 4 ½ oz plain flour, 1 pinch salt and 1 tablespoon of the melted ⅓ oz butter into a smooth, thin batter like single cream. Rest it for 15 minutes.
15 minStep 2: Mix 14 oz farmer cheese, 1 egg yolk, 1 ¾ oz caster sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 tsp lemon zest until smooth and thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon.
Step 3: Brush a 20 cm non-stick pan with a little of ½ oz butter and set over a medium heat. Pour in about 3 tablespoons of batter and swirl to coat the base thinly.
Step 4: Cook for about 1 minute, only on one side, until the top looks dry and the edges lift. Slide it out onto a board, cooked side up. Repeat to make about 12 crêpes, stacking them.
15 minStep 5: Put 2 heaped tablespoons of filling near the bottom edge of each crêpe's cooked side. Fold the bottom up, fold in the sides, then roll into a neat parcel.
Step 6: Melt the rest of ⅞ oz butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the blintzes, seam side down first, for 2–3 minutes per side until crisp and golden and the filling is hot.
6 minStep 7: Serve at once with ¾ cup soured cream and 5 ½ oz berry compote.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 460 kcal
- Protein
- 22 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does cheese blintzes take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
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