Athenian Blintzes Recipes

BLINTZES

Steps:

• With a whisk, beat eggs and milk together and add the salt. Gradually, a tablespoonful at a time, whisk in flour and beat until smooth. Heat a 6inch skillet and butter it lightly. Pour in enough batter to make a thin pancake. (If batter is too thick, add water to thin) Pour out excess back into the batter and don't worry if a "tab" forms on the side of the pan.
• Cook the blintz on one side only until the top blisters and it looks dry around the edges. Turn the blintz upside down onto a clean towel. Rebutter the skillet if need be, every 2 or 3 blintzes, and proceed until all the batter has been used up.
• Make assorted fillings, roll up and fry, or bake or freeze for another day.

CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• For the crepe: Beat milk, eggs and 1 cup water in a bowl. Add flour and powdered sugar to make a thin batter.
• Pour 1/4 cup batter on a well-buttered medium hot 10-inch fry pan, spreading it as thin as possible. Fry until light brown, then flip and brown other side until light brown. Turn out on wax paper. Repeat with remaining batter.
• For the cheese filling: Mix ricotta, cream cheese, eggs, powdered sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Spread evenly over the surface of a crepe. Tuck in ends and roll up. Cook in butter in a fry pan until brown on both sides. Repeat with remaining crepes and filling.
• Serve with sour cream and fruit preserves.

BEAUTY'S CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• Prepare batter. In a large bowl combine eggs, milk, salt and vanilla and blend well. Gradually add flour. Beat well until there are no lumps in the batter.
• Make the filling. Combine all of the filling ingredients in a bowl and mix together until smooth.
• Grease a 6- or 7-inch skillet until it is hot but not smoking.
• Put a ladleful of batter into the skillet. Tilt pan to swirl the batter so it covers the bottom of the skillet.
• Fry on one side until bubbles form and the top is set. The bottom should be golden brown. Carefully loosen edges of the crepe and slip it out of the skillet onto a plate.
• Repeat the above procedure until all the batter is used. Grease skillet each time before pouring batter.
• After all the crepes are made, begin filling them. The brown side should be facing up. Place 1 tablespoon of filling on one edge.
• Roll once to cover filling. Fold the sides into the center and continue rolling until completely closed.
• After all the blintzes are assembled, heat 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet and place each crepe, seam side down, in the skillet and fry 2 minutes on each side, turning once.
• Serve with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt, and garnish with fresh strawberries and a touch of powdered sugar.

CHEF JOHN'S CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• Place 3 eggs, flour, milk, water, vegetable oil, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract in a blender. Blend until completely smooth, 1 or 2 minutes, scraping down sides as needed. Let batter sit at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Whisk together ricotta cheese, cream cheese, lemon zest, egg, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix together thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate.
• Heat a 10-inch, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Spray or brush lightly with vegetable oil. Pour in about 1/4 cup batter. Immediately swirl batter around to coat bottom of pan. Cook until surface looks dry, about 1 minute. Flip crepe over to briefly cook other side, about 30 seconds. Remove to a plate. Repeat with the rest of batter. Stack crepes.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly butter a baking dish.
• Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of filling onto the crepe, about an inch from edge nearest you. Fold edge over filling and flatten slightly. Fold in both sides, then roll up crepe into a small filled rectangle, ending with the seam on the bottom, creating a blintz.
• Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Cook the blintzes until golden brown on both sides, turning gently, about 2 minutes. Transfer to buttered baking dish.
• Bake in preheated oven to firm up the filling, about 12 minutes. Cool blintzes 10 minutes before serving. Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar.

BLINTZ SOUFFLE II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Melt the butter in a 2-quart casserole, and place the frozen blintzes on top of the butter in a single layer. Mix the eggs, sour cream, sugar, salt, vanilla extract, and orange juice in a bowl until thoroughly combined, and pour the mixture over the blintzes.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the top is lightly browned, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the casserole comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

TRADITIONAL CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• Beat eggs in a bowl. Add milk, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Beat in flour using an electric mixer until well blended. Let batter stand for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Mix the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, cottage cheese, sugar, sour cream, egg yolk, and cinnamon together in a bowl to make the filling.
• Melt butter in a 6- to 7-inch skillet. Spoon a portion of the batter onto the skillet; cook until lightly browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn out onto a tea towel. Repeat with the remaining batter, thinning with small amounts of water if necessary and greasing the pan after every 2 to 3 blintzes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet.
• Melt the remaining butter in the skillet over low heat, about 1 minute.
• Place a blintz on a clean work surface with the uncooked side up. Add 1 tablespoon filling and roll up, completely covering the filling. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining blintzes. Brush filled blintzes with melted butter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

ORANGE BLINTZES

Steps:

• Mix 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 teaspoon of orange zest, salt, and flour in a small bowl. Combine milk and yogurt in a separate bowl. Stir in olive oil and mix until smooth. Beat 4 eggs in a large bowl, then add orange juice. Stir in the yogurt mixture followed by the flour mixture. Beat until smooth. Allow batter to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Beat 1 egg with 3 tablespoons of sugar, then add butter and cottage cheese, mixing until smooth. Stir in the bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon of orange zest. Refrigerate until the batter is ready.
• Lightly butter a 6 inch skillet, and heat over medium heat. For each crepe, pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet, and immediately rotate the skillet until the batter evenly coats the bottom in a thin layer. Cook until the top of the crepe is no longer wet and the bottom has turned light brown. Run a spatula around the edge of the skillet to loosen; flip the crepe, and cook until the other side has turned light brown. Stack the crepes in a clean kitchen towel, placing waxed paper between each.
• Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling onto the golden side of the crepe. Roll the crepe up and repeat until all the blintzes are made. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet and fry 4 to 5 blintzes at a time until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side.

MARYLYN'S CHEESE BLINTZES

Steps:

• Place the water, milk, eggs, melted butter, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and flour in the container of a blender, and blend until the mixture forms a smooth batter, about 1 minute. Pour into a bowl, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Clean the blender container, then add the cottage cheese, farmers cheese, sour cream, sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, and 1 pinch of salt. Pulse the filling mixture a few times to combine, then blend until the filling is smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Melt 1 teaspoon of butter in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat until the foam disappears from the skillet. Pour about 2 tablespoons of batter into the heated skillet, and swirl the pan to coat the bottom completely. Cook until the crepe is opaque and set, 1 to 2 minutes, and set aside, uncooked side down, on a plate lined with wax paper. Repeat with the rest of the batter, buttering the pan every few crepes if needed.
• To fill, place a crepe in front of you on a work surface with the cooked side up, and place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of cheese filling about 1 1/2 inches from the top of the crepe. Fold the top edge of the crepe over the filling, and fold the two sides inward to completely enclose the cheese. Roll the crepe over to seal the filling in, making a compact filled roll.
• Melt 1 teaspoon of butter, or as needed, in a skillet over medium-low heat. Pan fry the blintzes on both sides until the filling is hot and brown spots appear on the crepe, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

ATHENIAN BLINTZES

Steps:

• CREPE BATTER: With a whisk, beat eggs and milk together and add the salt. Gradually, a tablespoonful at a time, whisk in flour and beat until smooth.
• Heat a 6" skillet and butter it lightly. Pour in enough batter to make a thin pancake. (If batter is too thick, add water to thin).
• Pour out excess back into the batter and don't worry if a "tab" forms on the side of the pan. Cook the blintz on one side only until the top blisters and it looks dry around the edges. Turn the blintz upside down onto a clean towel.
• Re-butter the skillet if need be, every 2 or 3 blintzes, and proceed until all the batter has been used up.
• FILLING: Completely defrost the spinach and squeeze out any excess liquid. Add the butter or olive oil to a skillet and saute the scallions about 2 minutes. Add the spinach and continue to cook about 5 minutes longer.
• Add the sesame oil and cheese folding the spinach over the cheese until it melts. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the filling from the pan and cool before stuffing your blintz crepes.
• ASSEMBLY: Place 2 tablespoons of filling in center of crepe. Fold bottom over filling. Fold sides over filling. Fold top over filling and roll till sealed.
• Place in lightly greased saute pan, seam side down. Brown for 3-4 minutes on each side till lightly browned. Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream.