Chef John’s Cheese Blintzes

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Description

If you’re ever talking to someone who’s been to, or used to live in, New York City, and the subject of cheese blintzes comes up, you will almost always see their face light up. While there are several steps, they’re fairly simple, and so totally worth the effort.

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • ¼ cup cold water
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon white sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese, strained if wet
  • ½ cup cream cheese
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tablespoon butter, or as needed
  • 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, or as needed for dusting

Instructions

  1. Place 3 eggs
  2. flour
  3. milk
  4. water
  5. vegetable oil
  6. sugar
  7. salt
  8. and vanilla extract in a blender. Blend until completely smooth
  9. 1 or 2 minutes
  10. scraping down sides as needed. Let batter sit at room temperature 30 minutes.
  11. Whisk together ricotta cheese
  12. cream cheese
  13. lemon zest
  14. egg
  15. sugar
  16. and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix together thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate.
  17. Heat a 10-inch
  18. 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
  19. about 1 minute. Flip crepe over to briefly cook other side
  20. about 30 seconds. Remove to a plate. Repeat with the rest of batter. Stack crepes.
  21. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Lightly butter a baking dish.
  22. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of filling onto the crepe
  23. about an inch from edge nearest you. Fold edge over filling and flatten slightly. Fold in both sides
  24. then roll up crepe into a small filled rectangle
  25. ending with the seam on the bottom
  26. creating a blintz.
  27. Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Cook the blintzes until golden brown on both sides
  28. turning gently
  29. about 2 minutes. Transfer to buttered baking dish.
  30. Bake in preheated oven to firm up the filling
  31. about 12 minutes. Cool blintzes 10 minutes before serving. Dust lightly with confectioners’ sugar.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Servings: 5

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