Category Archives: Blintzes

Ah Blintzes. How do I love thee? You know, I’m willing to bet Elizabeth Barrett Browning never tasted a decent blintz in her life. But had she, I expect she would have described the experience along poetic lines.

Blintzes elicit strong emotions. And are they ever simple things to make. Yes, perhaps they take a bit more time than typical pancakes, but they freeze well. Which means you can tuck a few away for the kind of cold winter’s morning that simply cries out for apple sauce and sour cream. You know the kind I mean. So let’s get started. Crack your eggs in a medium bowl.

Give then a quick beating with a fork, then add the milk. Set the mixture aside.

Stir together your flour and salt (and sugar if you like a sweeter blintz) in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle (beater).

Add the egg and milk mixture all at once with the machine running and beat on medium-low until the batter is smooth and homogenous.

Add the melted butter and beat for another 20 seconds or so on medium-low. Now cover the batter and put it into the refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight. Why the rest? To let the bubbles rise out of the batter. Why is that important? All I can say is: remember reader Tori’s question.

When you’re ready to make your blintzes, heat a 6″ or 8″ nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat (I’m using a 6″ because I generally like a smaller blintz). Add about a teaspoon of butter to the pan and swirl it around. You want the heat high enough so that the butter foams a bit but doesn’t brown.

Add a few tablespoons of batter…

…and swirl it around gently to coat the pan. (I’m swirling gently…you just can’t see it because it’s in extreme slow-mo).

Cook the blintz about 45 seconds, until you can’t see any more raw batter on the top of the pancake. At that point give the pan a jostle until the blintz comes loose from the bottom (the first one might stick, but the process will get easier as the pan warms and gets lubricated).

Then off-load the finished blintz onto your stack. Don’t worry, they’re too eggy to stick together.

Ideally, they’ll have barely browned on the bottom, if at all. The blintzes can be refrigerated at this point for several days or frozen for several months. I’m going to eat mine.

So I’m going to set a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add a couple of tablespoons of butter to the pan. While that’s melting, I’m going to start filling my blintzes. For a small blintz, a tablespoon or so of filling is plenty. You don’t want to overfill your blintzes, I promise you. An over-stuffed blintz is an affront to both God and man, and comes unraveled in the frying pan.

To shape, roll the blintz up a bit.

Fold in one side…

…then the other…

…and keep rolling until you’re done. Finished!

Now all there is to do is brown these suckers in butter and put them on a plate.

Garnish with anything and everything. Eat!

Blintzes can be filled with just about anything, really. Here are a few of the classics. Some people like their cheese fillings (and blintzes) sweet, some like them savory. I’ve tried to present options for both, but use your own imagination. Blintzes are terrific receptacles for all sorts of interesting leftovers.

Cheese Filling

1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1 cup farmer’s cheese or 1 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup powdered sugar (optional)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Combine all in a small bowl. Serve the finished blintzes with a fruit sauce or cooked fruit or preserves of your choice: blueberry, apricot, strawberry, cherry, peach, raspberry or apple.

Potato Filling

1 lb. Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
1 onion
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter
2-3 tablespoons milk
salt and pepper

Bring an inch of water to the boil in a large pot. Put the potatoes in a vegetable steamer and insert in the pot, then put on the cover. Steam for about 15 minutes until soft and set aside. Chop the onion finely, and sweat them in a sauté pan with the butter until translucent but not brown. Mash the potatoes with the milk in a medium bowl and add the onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meat Filling

2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
1 small onion
1/2 pound ground beef or finely chopped brisket
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon tomato paste
salt and pepper pepper to taste

Chop the onion finely and sweat it in a sauté pan with the butter until translucent but not brown. Set aside. Add the meat to the pan and sauté until browned. Strain the fat, then add the onion back to the pan along with the parsley and the tomato paste. Stir to combine, adding and salt and pepper to taste.

Sweet Potato Filling

1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 350. Toss the sweet potato cubes with the olive oil in a baking dish and and bake for about 1 hour, until the potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, chop the onion, and sweat them in a sauté pan with the butter until translucent but not brown. Mash the potatoes with the milk in a medium bowl and add the onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Blintzes are pancakes, but they can be so much more depending on how you serve them. Here is a basic recipe for the articles themselves, fillings will come later.

3 eggs
12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) fat-free milk
5 ounces (scant cup) all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1.5 ounces (3 tablespoons) unsalted butter

Crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat them with a fork. Add the milk, stir vigorously and set aside. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle (beater), combine the flour and the salt. With the mixer on medium-low, add the egg mixture in a stream. Beat the batter until it’s smooth, scraping the bowl once or twice, then beat in the melted butter. Refrigerate the batter at least two hours.

Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl some butter around the pan (alternately, apply cooking spray), then pour in 1/4 cup of the batter, tilting the pan this way and that until you get an even coat. Heat the pancake for 45 seconds, until you can’t see any more liquid batter on the top. Gently jostle the pan to loosen the cake, then slide the blintz out of the pan onto a plate (you only want to cook one side, and then only until it’s lightly browned). Stacked, they’ll keep under a towel until ready to fill.

Fill as desired and fold. Cover the platter of blintzes in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight. They can also be frozen for up to several months at this point. When ready to serve, brown them in a heavy-bottomed skillet in plenty of butter for 8-10 minutes. Serve warm.