On Shavuos, it is customary for Jews to eat at least one or more dairy meals (just as Jews were said to do after receiving the Torah on Mt. Sinai 3,324 years ago and before they knew the intricate laws of kashrut). Popular dairy meals often include cheesecakes, all sorts of kugels and dairy lasagna, but cheese blintzes take center stage, and rightly so.
Shavuot is also the Festival of the First Fruits, so blintzes are typically topped with all sorts of juicy fruit. Blintzes and the following variations will make an excellent brunch or lunch dish for Shavuot. They’re sure to become family favorites that you’ll want to make all year round. Dairy delicious!!
Batter:
3 large eggs
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup milk
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
Filling:
1 1/2 lbs pressed dry cottage cheese or farmer’s cheese
1 egg yolk
1/4 to 1/2 cup granulated sugar or granular Splenda (or to taste)
2 Tbsp lemon juice (to taste)
Butter or margarine to fry blintzes
Accompaniments:
Sour cream or Greek yogurt, drizzled with a little honey.
Batter:
1. In a food processor fitted with the Steel Blade (or in large bowl of an electric mixer), beat eggs and oil until light. Add milk and beat until combined. Gradually add flour and salt, beating just until blended and smooth. Do not overmix. If batter has any lumps, strain through a fine sieve placed over a bowl. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to 1 day if making ahead). Batter should be like heavy cream. If too thick, add a little milk or water.
2. Lightly brush an 8 or 9-inch non-stick skillet or crêpe pan with oil. Heat pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with a few drops of water. If it sizzles, pan is hot enough.
3. Quickly pour 1/4 cup batter into center of pan and immediately tilt pan in all directions to coat entire bottom of pan with a thin film of batter. Immediately pour any excess batter back into bowl.
4. Return pan to heat. Cook until no moisture remains on the top side and edges start to brown and lift away from edges of pan, about 1 minute. Turn out crêpe onto clean tea towel. Continue until all the batter has been used up. You should have about 12 crepes.
Filling:
1. In a food processor, process cottage cheese, egg yolk, sugar and lemon juice until smooth, about 10 seconds. (Or combine filling ingredients in a medium bowl and stir until smooth.) If making filling ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
2. Place 3 to 4 Tbsp filling on lower third of browned side of each crêpe. Fold bottom edge up over filling, fold in sides and roll up. (Can be prepared in advance and refrigerated for several hours or overnight. Bring to room temperature before frying.)
3. To fry: Melt butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium heat. Place blintzes seam-side down in pan. Brown on all sides until golden, about 3 minutes per side.
To bake: Arrange blintzes in a single layer in a sprayed shallow casserole; dot with with butter or margarine. Bake uncovered in a preheated 400°F oven until golden, about 20 minutes.
4. Serve hot. Top blintzes with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt; drizzle with honey. Top with fresh berries or Best Berry Sauce.
Reheats and/or freezes well.
Tips:
Recipe can be doubled if you have a large food processor. Otherwise, process one batch of batter at a time to prevent leakage from bottom of processor bowl. Transfer batter to a mixing bowl.Blueberry Blintzes: Stir 1 cup fresh blueberries into 1 can (19 oz) blueberry pie filling.
