Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Cheese Blintzes



This is a nice way to use-up half a package of cream cheese and some cottage cheese nearing the expiration date.

For The Crepes:
(This is basically the Julia Child recipe)

1 cup cold water
1 cup cold milk
4 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups AP flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted, and cooled

Whisk together the water, milk and eggs. Whisk in salt and flour working out any lumps. Whisk in the butter, and whisk until smooth. Cover with cling film and chill at least two hours before using.

Heat your pan, lightly butter it (you will only need to do this once) and pour on about 4 tablespoons of batter. Tilt the pan to coat it, and cook until underside is lightly browned. Flip it, give it another minute, and stack crepes on a large platter as you work. You should end up with about 1 dozen 6 inch diameter crepes, but I got 14, but I think I do mine a bit on the thin side.

For the filling:

2 cups cottage cheese, sieved
4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg white (or whole egg if you wish)

Mash together really well with a potato masher. You can beat it with a whisk if you like, but don't overwork it-the filling will be on the runny side to begin with.

Take a crepe and at the bottom, centre a dollop of filling. Roll up from the bottom folding sides under. Place in a well-buttered baking dish. When all are made you can either dot them with additional butter and bake immediately in a 350 degree F. oven for 30 minutes or until browned-or, set them in the fridge until you are ready to cook. They can also be pan-fried in butter if you prefer. This makes quite a few blintzes, and despite the cheesy filling, they freeze remarkably well. Wrap the uncooked blintzes in freezer paper and seal tightly. This is handy when you want a single blintz for lunch or a snack.

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