| Blintzes | 
Print Recipe |
Very thin, whole wheat pancakes filled with either raisin and honey sweetened cheese or your favorite fruit. A Jewish classic made healthy, the recipe is involved but fun to do with the kids. I let my kids help me measure, push the buttons on the food processor and fold the blintzes.
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Cook's notes
You can prepare the batter and filling in 15 minutes and leave it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours until you are ready to assemble the blintzes. You can also freeze the unused filling for several months.
The blintzes store in the freezer beautifully after baking. Just thaw in microwave and bake in the toaster oven.
For the fruit filling, the amount of lemon or honey depends upon which fruit you use. For example, if you are making a peach, blueberry or cherry filling, do not add any honey or lemon. If you are making raspberry or apricot filling, you will need to add some honey but no lemon. For apple filling, you may need to add some lemon and/or honey depending on the type of apples.
Ingredients
Blintz Pancake
6 extra large eggs
2 c whole-wheat pastry flour
2 2/3 c milk, (low fat or nonfat okay)
2 T melted, unsalted butter
Cheese Filling
2 lb. low fat cottage cheese
2 extra large eggs
2 T honey
1/4 c + 2 T whole-wheat pastry flour
2 c raisins
Fruit Filling:
30 oz. frozen or 6 c fresh fruit (Include all juice for both fresh and frozen.)
3 T whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 t almond extract (only for peach or apricot filling)
a couple dashes of cinnamon ( only for apple filling)
2 T lemon juice (optional)
honey to taste (optional)
Steps
Prepare the pancake batter:
In a blender or food processor combine all of the ingredients for the pancakes. Do not over-process because you will create a foamy batter. If, despite your efforts, the batter is foamy, scoop the foam off of the top and cook as described below. These foam pancakes will be filled with tiny holes and impossible to fill, but your eagerly waiting kids will happily eat them. In any case, allow batter to rest, covered and refrigerated, for 30 minutes.
Prepare the filling :
If making fruit filling, place fruit and juice in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add remainder of the ingredients and stir until smooth. Cook another 5 minutes, until thickened, over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool completely before filling blitzes.
If making the cheese filling, in a blender or food processor, combine all of the ingredients except the raisins. Add the raisins and mix well. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Assemble and bake the blintzes
- Have the filling, a soupspoon, 2 nonstick cookie sheets, a 1/4 c measuring cup, the pancake batter, a small spatula and a clean work surface ready near the cook top. Preheat the regular oven to 350°F or convection 325°F.
- Place a nonstick, 6” crepe or omelet pan over medium heat. Heat the pan until a few sprayed drops of water sizzle. Stir the batter before starting each blintz. Fill the 1/4 cup a little more than half way with pancake batter and pour into the pan. As you pour, cover the bottom surface of the entire pan by tilting the pan in all directions.
- Cook over medium heat until the pancake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. (This happens quickly!) Gently remove the pancake to the work surface with the small spatula, cooked side up.
- Pour batter into pan for next pancake as in step number 2.
- While the next pancake is cooking, fill the one that is on your work surface. Spoon a few tablespoons of filling about 1-1/2" from the top of pancake. (This is where you use the soupspoon.) Fold over the top to cover filling and then fold each side. Finally, lift up and place the bottom flap over the top other folds to seal. Place this side down on the cookie sheet. By now the next pancake will be ready to fill.
- When all of the blintzes are filled and rolled, bake for about 15 - 20 minutes, until they are golden brown.
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